By CHUCK KNEBL
Communications Manager, WorkOne Northern Indiana

SOUTH BEND — The Northern Indiana Workforce Board Inc. announced its receipt of $685,000 in federal grant funds will be directed to help elevate low-income Hoosiers age 55 and older. The board will use 90 percent of grant dollars for on-the-job training efforts, whereby WorkOne partners with north-central Indiana nonprofit organizations to boost the employment skills of low-income seniors.

In a collaborative effort, WorkOne Region 2 pays wages and benefits for qualifying men and women to fulfill job-related tasks in the workplaces of nonprofits, which include not only public agencies but also community- or faith-based organizations like the American Red Cross and Faith Mission of Elkhart. On-site managers provide guidance, direction, advice and encouragement to Senior Community Service Employment Program participants, some who enter the effort with little knowledge of today’s digital- and information-age workplaces.

“The program, in many cases, provides a winning formula for not only older individuals who gain confidence and skills in completing assigned tasks, but also for service-related nonprofits and, indirectly, for local businesses who potentially might hire a SCSEP graduate down the road,” said Chuck Knebl, communications manager for the Northern Indiana Workforce Board and WorkOne Region 2.

The ultimate goal of SCSEP is to foster sufficient skills growth by older individuals to spur their hiring for open positions by employers.

The Northern Indiana Workforce Board received a $684,986 grant from Senior Service America, Inc., a national nonprofit based in Silver Spring, Md. The funds originated under authority of the federal Older Americans Act, as administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. The award, NIWB’s second substantial grant under the program, follows the board’s first SCSEP grant in 2014.