Projects:

• Sustainable
  Regional
  Development
  • Fellowship for Regional Sustainable Development (Rd I)
  • Greater Boston Economic Development Strategy
  • Portland (OR) Economic Development Strategy
  • Economic Development Toolbox Envision Utah
  • Regional Business Civic Initiative (Minding Their Civic Business)
  • Double Bottom Line Handbook
  • MetroBusinessNet
  • Economic Development Strategy for Northern Pennsylvania
  • Northern New England Family Economic Success
  • Other ED Projects & Initiatives
• Workforce Development & Postsecondary Education
  • Wine Industry Skills Assessment
  • Building a 21st Century Community College (Indiana)
  • Seattle Regional Skill Building Collaborative
  • Greater Washington DC Health Care Assessment
  • CSH Employment Toolkit
  • High Skills for High Growth Careers
  • Pathways to Advancement
  • Other WD Projects and Initiatives

Building a 21st Century Community College (Indiana)

FutureWorks is in the final stages of a 30-month Lumina Foundation sponsored project that is assisting Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in a comprehensive program of strategic assessment, analysis, and planning. The project links Ivy Tech output and capacity with Indiana's 21st century economy, with flexible training programs directly tied to Indiana's workplace, economic, and student needs. FutureWorks has assembled a team of national community college experts, both generalists and specialists in particular areas, to help identify high impact opportunities for improvement and expansion of Ivy Tech and is offering technical assistance and training to Ivy Tech officials in the implementation of those strategies.

Part of the project was a recently completed a consulting engagement with Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis to carry out detailed research and analysis to help determine how existing and new programs – degree, certificate, and non-credit – can best support the evolving needs of the primary economic clusters in Central Indiana.

There were four other components to this project. First, FutureWorks assisted the College in organizing and building capacity for workforce development in the region with the goal of providing flexible and customized support to area businesses while also supporting the degree and certificate-granting mission of the College. Next, FutureWorks developed a process for benchmarking workforce development practices against those of high performing two-year colleges elsewhere. Additionally, FutureWorks helped set up a series of region-wide meetings with leaders from business, education, workforce development, economic development, and government to review emerging needs and opportunities and the role of the College. Finally, FutureWorks prepared a Strategic Plan to guide the workforce development mission of the college over the next four to five years.

Another part of the project was the development of a special Honors Program that clustered different initiatives together and coordinate their efforts to form a unified Honors Program. Click to find the Executive Summary of the Final Report.