Claire Fiddian-Green is the President & CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. By 2025, 60 percent of jobs will require some type of high-quality degree or credential beyond high school. Currently only 43.4 percent of Hoosiers attain a postsecondary credential or degree, meaning nearly six out of every ten Indiana workers are not prepared to take on the majority of jobs that will be available in just five years. Additionally, Indiana employers continue to report challenges in filling positions with qualified applicants. Last year, 80 percent of Indiana employers reported workforce needs as one of their biggest challenges. What’s becoming increasingly clear is that there is a major leak in […]

Alex Cohen is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation. In Indiana and across the United States, the opioid epidemic continues, with drug overdose deaths involving opioids exceeding 47,000 nationwide in 2017. To help stem the tide, the federal government allocated $11 billion to states in fiscal years 2017 and 2018, according to a recently released report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. In Indiana, which received $159 million in federal opioid funding, this funding has been deployed by the state to strengthen prevention, treatment and recovery efforts and to support research and programs in the criminal justice system. At first glance, Indiana’s portion of federal […]