Lebanon, Indiana, has a rich history of manufacturing, but after receiving encouragement from the business community, local officials wanted to ensure that the businesses have a strong workforce pool to choose from. City representatives contacted the Vincennes University to share their vision for workforce development and the idea grew from there.
![Dan Flick, site director for the Vincennes/Gene Haas Training Center, said in addition to its normal classes, the facility would also offer companies training sessions for their employees. Once a company decides what it needs for its employees, the training center will build a session around what is desired. According to Flick, it could be a couple of days or a couple of weeks.](https://cdn2.areadevelopment.com/static_images/article/Auto-Aero-2016/impa-385.jpg)
This center will address both issues, as well as provide training for the general public. A 16-week intensive training program will also be offered for veterans. According to Doug Bowman, director of VU’s Haas Technical Education Center, “Indiana alone will need 7,000 new machinists over the next five years. Providing this high-quality training ?on state-of-the-art equipment will help bridge the advanced manufacturing skills gap.”
City officials view this as a game-changer for the community. Not only will it serve as a resource for existing businesses, but they hope it will entice prospective businesses as well.