Success usually translates into more money and resources. But when it comes to federal funding for the unemployed, success means less.

Due largely to low unemployment, Region 9 of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development is facing a 20 percent cut in federal funding, region director Kirk Kegerreis said.

That means job seekers in Bartholomew and Jackson and eight other southeast Indiana counties who need help applying for unemployment insurance may not find the staff at their local WorkOne location to assist them, department spokesman Joe Frank said.

As a cost-cutting move, the local Work One location inside the Columbus Learning Center, 4555 Central Avenue, is asking job-seekers to conduct most of their business regarding unemployment benefits either online or by telephone, Kegerreis recently told the Bartholomew County Commissioners.

Unemployed individuals who walk into the Columbus office for benefit assistance will learn “we can’t help them,” Kegerreis said. “Folks don’t like that much, and neither do I, but it’s not our decision.”

The Work One Express location at 323 Dupont Drive in Seymour is asking Jackson County job-seekers to do the same, Karen McKinley said.

There are no changes or cuts in services, including those for youth, planned at Seymour because there are no state staff at Express locations, the Region 9 Express manager said Wednesday afternoon.

Three recent developments were outlined by Kegerreis:

With a 4.6 percent unemployment rate in December, Indiana was doing better than most of the country. The U.S. jobless rate was 4.8 percent.

The 10 counties within Region 9 — including Jackson and Bartholomew — are doing better in terms of unemployment than other Indiana regions.

Only one of Indiana’s 92 counties — Hamilton — did better than the 3.3 percent jobless rate posted by Bartholomew County during the last month of 2015. In December, Jackson County had the 10th lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.7 percent.

Since money goes where it’s most needed, the Hoosier State ended up with fewer federal jobless program funds, Kegerreis said. And when the smaller pie was divided, Region 9 got a smaller piece than other parts of Indiana, he said.

“It’s been a rough year for funding, so we have to find ways of doing it better,” Kegerreis said.

Although computers will still be available at Work One locations for people to file for unemployment, the centers are now focusing on re-employment services, Frank said.

“Now, it’s all about obtaining training and education for funding, rather than dealing with vouchers,” he said.

However, those who still need help filing for unemployment can call a toll-free number weekdays during regular business hours to receive assistance, Frank said.

Kegerreis said when he talks about “doing it better,” he means finding ways to better educate and train south central Indiana job-seekers so they can earn higher wages and employers can secure qualified workers.

That’s why a $1.8 million state grant was recently awarded by Skill UP Indiana — a program of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development — to the Economic Opportunities Through Education (EcO) Network of Southeast Indiana.

EcO works to ensure a system of learning exists in a 10-county region — including Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings — that enables individuals to advance their level of education, training or job.

The 18-month grant will finance, among other things, expanded programs to reduce dropout rates, the creation of paid internships for high school students, and an accelerated nursing program at IUPUC.

In total, the state has made $11 million in grants available to organizations statewide to aid in education and career attainment.

While most are earmarked to address higher unemployment in the northern half of Indiana, the EcO award is the second largest grant in the state, Kegerreis told the commissioners.

With the grant, Region 9 becomes the only one in the state to extend its drop-out prevention efforts, he said.

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2016 Indiana Skill UP grant recipients, region locations and amounts

• EcO Network of Southeast Indiana – Region 9 ($1,823,111)
• Ball State University – Region 5 ($158,881)
• Carter Express and JobSource – Region 5 ($247,500)
• Central Indiana Corporate Partnership – Region 5 ($1,117,523)
• Conexus Indiana – statewide ($812,725)
• Eleven Fifty Academy – Region 5 ($850,000)
• Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana –Regions 4, 5 and 6 ($475,000)
• IUPUI School of Informatics – Region 5 ($405,495)
• Junior Achievement of Central Indiana – Region 5 ($540,000)
• Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership – Region 3 ($1,345,000)
• Northwest Indiana Manufacturing Consortium – Region 1 ($427,571)
• Region 4 Skill UP Alliance ($2,163,624)
• Region 2 Welders Skill Up Consortium ($883,400)

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The WorkOne office in Columbus Learning Center helps Hoosiers prepare for new employment opportunities.  The office is located at 4555 Central Ave., Suite 1200, on the Columbus Municipal Airport campus.

The Region 9 office serves residents in Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, Decatur, Franklin, Ripley, Dearborn, Ohio, Jefferson and Switzerland counties.

Services include job-seeking workshops, computer classes, training programs, youth services, an online explorer to gauge career interests, and listings of current job openings.

To learn more about taking advantage of these sessions and activities, or if you need help filing for unemployment insurance, call 1-800-891-6499 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or go online at WorkOneWorks.com

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