ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION
AND TRAINING
Post Secondary Technical and Vocational Training
As Table 28 indicates, residents and businesses located in Starke County have a wide variety of choices for post secondary technical and vocational training in the fields of business, engineering, and skilled trades. Within the county, and within a short driving distance of approximately 40 minutes, there are four institutions that offer training in computer and engineering technologies, business management, and skilled trades.
Expanding the driving time to approximately one hour, the number of institutions offering training expands to 13.
|
Table 28 - POST SECONDARY TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING
AVAILABLE TO RESIDENTS OF STARKE COUNTY, IN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Institution | Location | Training Opportunities | Time and Distance From Starke County |
| Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL) | Knox, IN | computer and auto tech. training, management and leadership, customized training | 0 minutes 0 miles |
| Ancilla College | Donaldson, IN | business management, computer technology | 23 minutes 17 miles |
| Purdue University North Central | Westville, IN | business management, computer technology, engineering technologies | 37 minutes 29 miles |
| Ivy Tech State College | Valparaiso, IN | skilled trades | 42 minutes 31 miles |
| satellite campuses | Michigan City, IN | computer | 49 minutes 37 miles |
| Gary, IN | engineering technologies | 1 hour, 6 min. 56 miles | |
| Warsaw, IN | 1 hour, 8 min. 53 miles | ||
| Elkhart, IN | 1 hour, 9 min. 63 miles | ||
| East Chicago, IN | 1 hour,18 min. 66 miles | ||
| Purdue University, School of Technology | South Bend, IN | computer technology, engineering technologies | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Ivy Tech State College (main regional campus) | South Bend, IN | skilled trades, computer technology, engineering technologies | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Michiana College | South Bend | business management | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Indiana University South Bend | South Bend | business management, computer technology | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Elkhart Area Career Center | Elkhart, IN | skilled trades | 1 hour, 9 min. 63 miles |
| Lake Michigan College | Benton Harbor, MI | skilled trades, business management, computer technology, engineering technologies | 1 hour, 22 min. 72 miles |
| Goshen College | Goshen, IN | business management, computer technology | 1 hour, 25 min. 68 miles |
Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL)
The Starke County Initiative for Lifelong Learning (SCILL) is a unique partnership of government, business and industry, economic development, and education institutions. The intent is to develop a Starke County workforce that would enable employers to have access to employees with world class skills, while making workers more employable and able to improve their standard of living.
SCILL is an asset to economic development. The outcome of SCILL initiatives addresses two key factors in assuring continuing business success within a region, both in terms of the existing base and attracting new business to the region. These are: the competency of the entry-level workforce; and the continual development of the skill base of the existing workforce.
Effective delivery of initiatives has depended upon the co-operation of school administrators to formulate curriculum with business and industry, the hiring of new employees from the pool of graduate by business and industry, and the financial support of local government. The overall management of the education program is through nearby (17 miles away) Ancilla College, which is a full partner, and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation has provided the leadership to bring the business, industry, and education communities together to achieve these goals.
How does SCILL achieve its goals? To be effective it must offer learning opportunities which employers and workforce want. Training needs to be close by, responsive to need, and customized. Partnership with Ancilla College ensures that courses have a solid educational foundation and lead towards college level credits. Ancilla and SCILL staff are in continual contact with the business community to ensure that skill development needs are being met. An 8,000 square foot building owned by the Starke County Economic Development Foundation in the Knox Industrial Park is outfitted with instructional classrooms, a manufacturing lab, and an AutoTech program. The facility is used for formal courses, as well as for customized training for industrial clients. A refurbished elementary school in the rural area of Starke County houses a computer lab in which computer technology and repair courses, including A+ and CISCO networking are conducted. Consequently, training facilities are close by to home and business.
SCILL is organized under four major program areas: workforce development; college credit; business and industry training; and continuing education and community enrichment.
Workforce development has concentrated upon skill development for success in the workplace. Training is provided to develop interpersonal skills, information skills (evaluating and interpreting data), thinking skills (problem solving), and personal qualities (reliability and responsibility). This program is currently endorsed and utilized by the County's leading industrial employers, including Gerox, Inc., MPI Indiana Fineblanking, the Rockwell Company, Stelrama Corporation, and Thermo Products Inc.
The earning of college credits enhances the credibility of SCILL courses with the business community. Such credits also assure course participants that individual training courses can lead towards certifications and degrees that enhance their income and marketability in the future. Ancilla College is a partner in the SCILL program. Ancilla, a two-year community college, directly provides courses on campus (23 minutes away), and at the SCILL sites in the County. Ancilla also works in conjunction with Ivy Tech State College and Purdue University North Central to provide classes that lead to certifications and degrees at these institutions. As an example, Ancilla College, with Ivy Tech State College, has developed a seven-semester industrial maintenance certificate program taught at the SCILL center, the credits which can be applied towards an Ivy Tech Associates of Science Degree.
Business and industry training courses at the SCILL center can be customized to meet the particular needs of a business or industry. Custom training courses can range from management skills such as supervision, to technical skills such as blueprint reading and computer courses.
The SCILL center offers continuing education and community enrichment courses to enable the public to engage in life long learning close to home. SCILL offers technical courses, such as residential wiring and computer troubleshooting, and non-credit computer courses ranging from basic literacy to introduction to Microsoft Office and related products, the internet, and AutoCAD. AutoTech courses are particularly of value as they lead to certifications in air conditioning, braking, ignition and emissions control, steering and suspension systems. The SCILL center, in conjunction with Ancilla College, offers courses in management, planning and decison-making, leading to a Management and Leadership Certificate. Safety management courses are offered to provide guidance in meeting OSHA standards, and shop floor courses providing training in safety behavior, machine guarding, and safety management systems.
In summary, the SCILL center has programs in place, designed to meet the needs of business and industry, and focussed upon the continuous upgrading of skills in Starke County. SCILL programs provide the public with training opportunities close to home, to enhance skill level, marketability, and income prospects. This will provide the foundation to retain existing business and workforce, as well as attract new businesses. The SCILL program also offers the potential to respond to new economic development opportunities. If a major new industrial operation is considering Starke County as a potential site, the existence of SCILL provides a running start to developing training programs and systems that can be customized to a particular industry need.
Colleges and Universities
Starke County is well located with respect to access to colleges and universities offering two-year, bachelors, graduate, and professional programs. Table 29 indicates that three institutions are within one hours driving time from Starke County, and some 15 institutions, including the University of Notre Dame, as well as Purdue University and the universities of the Chicago region are within two hours. The county thus has easy access to training opportunities, expertise, and educational advancement opportunities at world class institutions of higher learning.
|
Table 29 - COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITHIN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Institution | Location | Programs | Time and Distance From Starke County |
| Ancilla College | Donaldson, | Associates Degree | 23 minutes 17 miles |
| Purdue University North Central | Westville, IN | Associates Degree, Bachelors Degree | 37 minutes 29 miles |
| Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees, Professional Schools (engineering, law) | 42 minutes 31 miles |
| Indiana University South Bend | South Bend, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Bethel College | Mishawaka, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Tri-State University | South Bend, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees | 1 hour, 4 min. 47 miles |
| Indiana University Northwest | Gary, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degree | 1 hour, 6 min. 56 miles |
| Saint Mary's College | Notre Dame, IN | Bachelors Degree | 1 hour, 10 min. 50 miles |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees, Professional Schools (engineering, law) | 1 hour, 10 min. 50 miles |
| Holy Cross College | Notre Dame, IN | Associates Degree | 1 hour, 10 min. 50 miles |
| Purdue University Calumet | Hammond, IN | Bachelors Degree | 1 hour, 14 min. 63 miles |
| Saint Joseph's College | Rensselaer, IN | Associates Degree | 1 hour, 20 min. 52 miles |
| Lake Michigan College | Benton Harbor, MI | Associates and Bachelors Degree | 1 hour, 22 min. 72 miles |
| Goshen College | Goshen, IN | Bachelors Degree | 1 hour, 25 min. 68 miles |
| Purdue University | West Lafayette, IN | Bachelors and Graduate Degrees, Professional Schools (engineering, veterinary science, agriculture) | 1 hour, 45 min. 75 miles |
| Examples: University of Chicago Loyola University Illinois Institute of Technology Northwestern University DePaul University |
Chicago, IL and area |
Bachelors and Graduate Degrees, Professional Schools (engineering, medical sciences) | 1 hour, 43 min. 86 miles |
Two year, Bachelors, graduate, and professional programs (las and engineering)are all accessible within 45 minutes of Starke County at Ancilla College, Purdue University North Central, and Valparaiso University, Expanding driving time to just over one hour adds another seven institutions, including Indiana University South Bend, Indiana University Northwest, the University of Notre Dame, and four other institutions in the South Bend ares. A variety of graduate and uundergraduateprograms, some at a world cclasslevel, are provided at these institutions.
Expanding the driving time to two hours will include Purdue University (1 hour, 45 minutes) and the Chicago area to the possibilities reached from Starke County. Purdue University has the largest engineering school in the country, is considered a leading university in agricultural and veterinary science. The universities in the Chicago region (for example, the University of Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology) are world-renowned in many academic and technical fields.