Governor Pence Launches Regional CTE Awareness Campaign in Northeast Indiana

Press Release

Governor Mike Pence joined students and community members at the Anthis Career Center in Fort Wayne this afternoon to recognize student successes in career and technical education (CTE) and to launch the Regional Work Council's CTE awareness campaign.

The awareness campaign "MADEBYME," is led by the Region 3 Works Council and its partners and will focus on outreach to students and parents in northeast Indiana. It also aims to encourage exploration of career options, particularly in manufacturing, and educational opportunities available through local schools, the area's five CTE centers, and other post-secondary institutions.

"Indiana is a national leader when it comes to manufacturing, and the industry in northeast Indiana in particular is expected to grow by thousands of jobs in the next decade," said Governor Pence. "The time is now to ensure our students have the information they need to make informed decisions about their careers and their futures, and I believe the MADEBYME campaign will do just that. I commend the work of our Region 3 Works Council and its partners for bringing this idea to fruition as our administration continues to work to make sure our young people graduate high school fully prepared for either a successful career path or further learning through higher education."

Manufacturing is the largest employment sector in northeast Indiana, supplying nearly 80,000 jobs with projections of thousands of additional jobs over the next decade. With jobs paying an average of $60,721 with benefits, the sector pays nearly $12,000 more than the region's median annual income.

As he has traveled the state meeting with businesses and employees, the Governor has consistently heard that more people need to be aware of the opportunities that exist for CTE graduates. Regional evaluations provided by the 11 Indiana Works Councils each listed local awareness of CTE benefits and opportunities as one of their area's greatest challenges. In response to the evaluations, the state provided grant dollars to encourage regions to develop local campaigns to further awareness efforts for CTE classes, careers and training options.

Pence was joined by Dr. Wendy Robinson, Superintendent of Fort Wayne Community Schools; John Sampson, Chair of the Region 3 Indiana Works Council; and Gary Gatman, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Northeast Indiana Works. Gatman outlined the Region 3 CTE awareness campaign, which includes a focus on school guidance counselors, a microsite with in-depth information on manufacturing careers and testimonials from local CTE students, and an online video graphic targeting frequent student-user sites with manufacturing content and information. Initial meetings to gather school support have already been held with more than 60 administrators, counselors and educators.

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