KCDC Receives $150,000 Grant
KCDC has received a $150,000 grant from the state to be used to fund a workforce and educational development project, "The Business Solution Project." The project will utilize the already established Employment Skills Academy and Vincennes University to provide training for area workers.
The academy is a basic skills certification program sponsored by KCDC, Vincennes University and a number of area employers and organizations including WorkOne and the Southwest Indiana Network for Education.
Selected candidates for the program get free training and help sharpening their job skills. They have to complete 96 hours of classroom instruction to earn a Basic Skills Manufacturing Certification.
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Knox County Indiana offers an abundant trained workforce for your business.
Knox County Indiana employers give high marks to their workforce when it comes to measuring productivity levels. The annual employee turnover rate is less than 5 percent, and absenteeism rates range from 0-3 percent per month.
In 2005, Knox County had 998 business units and 16,240 jobs. The largest employing industry in the county was education and health services (including both public and private employment) with almost 34 percent of total industry employment. Trade, transportation, and utilities came in second with over 22 percent of total industry employment. Manufacturing showed the most job growth and the largest percentage gain since 2001, increasing 316 jobs or almost 21 percent.
The 2005 all industry earnings average for Knox County was $26,875, up $2,824 or 11.7 percent over the county’s 2001 average. The manufacturing industry had the highest average annual earnings at $33,238, increasing $1,695 since 2001. Annual earnings in the information sector increased the most between 2001 and 2005, up $6,518 or 29.7 percent.
The Vincennes area has a diversified economy. In 2005 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $19,743. Per capita income grew by 17.9% between 1994 and 2004 (adjusted for inflation). While manufacturing accounts for 8.2% of the jobs, the services sector is rapidly growing. Knox County's ground breaking Pathways Program insures a well-trained, highly motivated labor force. Knox County emcompasses an area that attacts approximately 300,000 potential employees within an easy commute. Because of the proximity of the surrounding counties, and ease of access to the Vincennes area, businesses routinely draw from a labor force that lies within a 50-mile radius of their work site.
| Labor Force Estimates |
| Knox County, Indiana Area - March 2007 |
| Areas |
Labor Force |
Unemployed |
Rate |
| State of Indiana |
|
163,195 |
5.0% |
| Evansville Region |
186,739 |
9,057 |
4.9% |
|
|
|
|
| Daviess |
15,175 |
489 |
3.2% |
| Dubois |
22,410 |
823 |
3.7% |
| Gibson |
17,597 |
770 |
4.4% |
| Greene |
17,095 |
854 |
5.0% |
| Knox |
19,461 |
825 |
4.2% |
| Lawrence |
23,165 |
1,488 |
6.4% |
| Martin |
5,217 |
232 |
4.4% |
| Pike |
6,125 |
256 |
4.2% |
| Sullivan |
9,345 |
518 |
5.5% |
| Knox County, IN Area |
135,599 |
6,255 |
4.6% |
|
|
|
|
| Vanderburgh |
93,328 |
4,674 |
5.0% |
| Warrick |
31,132 |
1,288 |
4.1% |
|
|
|
|
| TOTAL |
260,059 |
12,217 |
4.6% |
|
|
|
|
| Illinois (in Vincennes market area) |
| Crawford |
9,545 |
510 |
5.3% |
| Lawrence |
8,255 |
354 |
4.3% |
| Richland |
7,617 |
339 |
4.5% |
| Wabash |
6,356 |
321 |
5.1% |
| Illinois TOTAL |
31,773 |
1,524 |
4.8% |
Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development March 2007
Illinois Department of Labor, April 2007 |
Comprehensive information on wages and benefits for the Knox County area can be found on the Indiana Department of Work force Development web site.
Commuting Patterns in Knox County
The following is a summary of what 2004 tax return information tells us about workers and commuters in this county:
| Workers: |
| Number of persons who live in Knox County and work (implied resident labor force) |
24,158 |
| Number of persons who live AND work in Knox County |
21,490 |
| Total number of persons who work in Knox County (implied work force) |
24,900 |
| Commuters: |
| Number of persons who live in Knox County but work outside the county |
2,668 |
| Number of persons who live in another county (or state) but work in Knox County |
2,771 |
| Source: Stats Indiana Commuting Profiles 2004 |
 
Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH), Vincennes, Indiana
Local Wage Survey, 2007
Source:Good Samaritan Hospital Local Wage Survey, 2007
Results are based on responses by 32 employers in Knox County, Indiana
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Pathways Network - Assessment & Training
This partnership between Vincennes University, the Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Board, Inc., Knox County Development Corp. and our corporate citizens maintains the assessment results of over 3,800 Local Job Seekers.
Each of These 3,800+ Job Seekers Has:
- Completed a 4 hour battery of pre-employment assessment.
- Submitted a list of job skills and a work history.
Of These Available Workers:
- 69% Are looking for jobs paying in the $7-$9 range.
- 48% Are currently active in the work force.
- 63% Have high school or better language and math skills.
- 100% Want you to locate your business in Knox County, Indiana.
Pathways is designed to assist the individual in gaining access to new and better jobs. Pathways is also designed to assist businesses in placing the right people in the right jobs.
Employers can utilize Pathways in several ways. Pathways Profilers are trained to analyze jobs to determine the skills, and the level of those skills, needed to adequately perform the jobs. By providing employers with common skill scales for evaluating the jobs they need to staff and by assessing the skills levels of people who feel qualified to fill those positions, fair and useful hiring strategies can be determined. In profiling a job, the Profiler first obtains background information about the company and about how the job fits into that company. A list of tasks most relevant to the job is then created. The Profiler, with input from incumbent workers and supervisors of the position, devises a document listing the most important tasks pertinent to the job and for each relevant skill area, the skill level required on the job.
For Job Seekers, Pathways is not an employment agency. We will not "find" them a job. We will help clients determine the skill levels which can be used in deciding a career path. The purpose of the assessment is to provide individuals with information about their aptitudes, skills, temperaments, and learning styles. Understanding individual capacities helps job seekers to make good career decisions.
For more information about the Pathways Network, please contact:
Brent Woolwine 812-888-5749
bwoolwine@indian.vinu.edu
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