JASPER GROUP & ORLEANS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT INNOVATIVE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP LAUDED

Regional Opportunity Initiative (ROI) Recognizes Newly Created Manufacturing Career Pathway Program

(Jasper, IN)— Jasper Group, in collaboration with the Orleans Community School District is pleased to have earned the Regional Opportunity Initiative’s (ROI) 2023 Employer Innovation Award. The collaborative was recognized for the newly developed and implemented program seeking to both increase awareness of next-generation manufacturing opportunities and fuel the talent pipeline through a co-developed skills and knowledge-based curriculum.

“Since 1876, a strong sense of community has been evident in the quality furniture produced by Jasper Group,” said Russ Sage of Jasper Group. “The pride with which generational stories are shared reflect both the underlying strength of Jasper Group and the future talent-growth opportunity we focused on developing in partnership with the Orleans Community Schools.”

Jasper Group & the Orleans School District’s award-winning effort focuses on Junior/Senior High School, seeking to raise awareness of manufacturing opportunities and developing the next generation of talent. Launched at the beginning of the 2022 school year, the co-developed curriculum combines Jasper Group on-site experiences and classroom knowledge. The curriculum begins with a tour of the Jasper Group headquarters, including the product showroom, where students have a final-product view before the design, sourcing and manufacturing process is deconstructed during a six-week learning cycle. The design-to-production focused curriculum ends with a product design challenge and an immersive summer project, paid and onsite. This will help to showcase what the students have learned.

ROI’s annual Indiana Uplands Regional Innovation Awards recognize deserving people, organizations, and projects that have made meaningful improvements to education, workforce, economic development, and quality of place within the 11 counties of the Uplands region (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). This year’s award winners were announced at ROI’s 2023 Annual Report to the Region held at French Lick Resort on Thursday, April 13.

“Jasper Group is honored by the early recognition from ROI and hopes the early success of this program inspires key community stakeholders to partner and seek creative solutions to help address the manufacturing talent gap,” said Russ Sage. “Without a well-coordinated and cooperative effort, the manufacturing talent gap threatens the strength of our community. This award is a testament to the positive impact that Jasper Group is making in the community, and we will continue to work tirelessly to leave this world a better place for generations to come.”

Orleans Junior/Senior High School is a part of the Orleans Community Schools serving approximately 872 students in grades PK-12 within a rural community of 2000 residents. There are 22 students involved in this year’s JSI and Orleans Junior/Senior High School cohort, with early success expected to fuel both increased interest and necessary partner-resources.

“Getting to see a finished furniture product, taking a step back, and then being provided with the start-to-finish resources to create my own furniture concept was an experience I could not have imagined,” said Xavier Alston, junior at Orleans Junior/Senior High School. “The program opened my eyes to manufacturing and the opportunity it can deliver, recognizing both the depth of knowledge necessary and the highly technical skills that go into a finished product.”

“Successful partnerships open the minds of our students and in-turn doors to future opportunities,” said Jacob Smith of Orleans Community Schools. “I hope to use the early success and recognition of Orleans Community School’s partnership with Jasper Group as a call for more creative, hands-on learning and growth opportunities to address our community’s growing skills gap in the manufacturing sector.” .