Ashley Surpas has dedicated her career to helping East Central Indiana companies thrive. She currently oversees the East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative, which is designed to accelerate the profitability of the region by elevating investment in education and talent.
The initiative was formed following this area’s designation as a 21st Century Talent Region in 2021. In addition to Henry County, Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Jay, Randolph, Rush, and Wayne Counties comprise the coalition. Key collaborators include Ball State University, the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership, Forge Your Path, Eastern Indiana Works, East Central Educational Service Center, and Ivy Tech Community College.
Surpas shared about the Talent Collaborative at a New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) meeting in November. Surpas is the Associate Director for Regional Initiatives in the Office of Community Engagement at Ball State University.
In her presentation, Surpas shared the stages of the collective impact model. The model begins with natural disorder and confusion and moves toward individual impact, with entities working in isolation from one another. The next stage is coordinated impact, with entities working in alignment with one another. The desired stage is collective impact, with all entities working together in collaborative action.
“Much of the work for the Talent Collaborative is in the individual and coordinated impact phase right now,” Surpas noted. “Regionalism is evolving and growing as partners are interacting and gaining trust with one another.”
East Central Indiana has 33 school districts, 7 career centers, 6.5 higher education institutions, and 15 healthcare systems/partners. Surpas notes, however, that the region is not utilizing these resources to full capacity.
The population in the region is expected to drop by nearly 15 percent while the state is expected to increase by 12 percent. The average educational attainment is under 30 percent while the state is at nearly 37 percent. Median income is approximately $8,500 under the state average. The East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative is prioritizing these aspects through attraction, development, and connection.
She explains why these three priorities are identified: “The workforce is changing, and employers need more highly-skilled employees than ever before. Technological advances eliminate many entry-level positions and require advanced training beyond high school. If our region is going to successfully position itself for the future, we must develop the talent that employers are looking for.”
The Collaborative is using county coalitions, cradle-to-career development coalitions, industry networks, a guiding team, and the backbone support of Ball State University to accomplish these regional priorities.
To learn more about the East Central Indiana Talent Collaborative, visit ecitalent.org. Contact Ashley Surpas at ashley.surpas@bsu.edu with questions about the collaborative.