Community Economics & Workforce Development

Community Economics & Workforce Development

Purdue Extension aims to assist Indiana communities to have thriving and resilient economies, quality infrastructure and sustainable job opportunities for its residents. This thematic area provides evidence-based community-led programming for local and regional organizations as well as traditional programming for businesses and individuals. The ultimate goal is to assist local communities and key decision-makers to collaborate on policies and growth strategies in target sectors to drive economic growth for counties, regions, and all of Indiana.

Signature Programs

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Becoming the Employer of Choice

This program is geared towards current and future farm and other business managers/owners looking to improve their human resource management skills. This popular program, developed by University of Wisconsin Extension, is designed to improve human resource skills through hands-on activities and interactive sessions.

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Business Retention & Expansion Program

Purdue Extension offers the Business Retention & Expansion Program (BR&E) to Stage 1 and Stage 2 companies as a method to help Indiana communities understand local business needs and respond, so that businesses grow, stay and become more committed to the community. Purdue Extension’s BR&E Program gets integrated into the community and more involved in comprehensive strategy development at the local and regional level to assist and assess company and community needs.

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Digital Ready Business

The digital age is here and having an online presence is very important for businesses. Digital Ready provides businesses with the basic knowledge to have an online presence or ramp up an existing one. By incorporating an online presence strategy, businesses will become more competitive and sustainable.

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FORWARD – Future Opportunities for Rural Workforce and Rural Development

The FORWARD curriculum is designed to support Cooperative Extension Professionals (CEPs) working to address workforce development issues in rural communities. This project expands upon Cooperative Extension’s experience with youth engagement and career development to target non-traditional student populations such as incumbent, displaced, and low-income workers.

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Work Ready

The purpose of the Work Ready program is to teach life skills necessary to increase the number of qualified applicants for the job openings in the United States. This 10-session curriculum is designed for high school students and displaced adult workers.

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On Local Government

On Local Government provides local elected officials and community leaders with timely information and resources about the local government revenue system, legislative changes, the state budget, and other issues that impact local government finance. The programming consists of webinars and regional programs which provide information on local and state government public finance. In addition to webinars and workshops, On Local Government provides an array of resources for understanding local government finance.

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Experience Incubator

Experience Incubator is designed to harness the power of entrepreneurial thought and action to translate 50+ years of experience into the skills and mindset needed to develop a business.  Lessons are designed to demystify entrepreneurship and help participants understand how they have been acting entrepreneurially all their lives, be it managing a home, balancing family and career, running a farm, etc.

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Collaborative Projects

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Remote Work Certificate

Remote work is any form of work in which you are not required to regularly commute to and work from a centralized location. Since 2005, remote work has grown by 173%. This means that regardless of where you live, there are work opportunities which you can take advantage of today.

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Succession Planning

Families planning the transfer of farms to the next generation of operators seek information and resources. The succession planning process includes considerations for financial well-being, farm management and risk assessment. It is crucially important for families to properly develop plans that address the transfer of ownership and management.

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Upcoming Events

Recent News

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