Purdue MEP and Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County Announce Leadership Series in Spanish to Strengthen Workforce

In the United States, more than 43 million people speak Spanish as a first language, and almost 12 million individuals are bilingual Spanish speakers, making the United States the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, after Mexico.

With the growing Spanish-speaking population, it’s clear we must expand upon our standard English industry training. Purdue University Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County partnered together to offer Purdue MEP’s Leadership for Success series in Spanish. The goal of this initiative is to provide Spanish speakers the same leadership training as English speakers, which assists in their career growth. Training is being held at the EDC of Elkhart County in Elkhart, Indiana, now through summer 2021.

The Purdue (MEP) Leadership Skills for Success series was developed to ensure supervisors' success by providing employees with new tools and skills to succeed as a leader within an organization. In this six-month, intensive course led by Purdue MEP, participants learn and practice key skills every supervisor needs. Each session introduces new topics with an emphasis on how to apply these skills in the workplace.

 “We are excited to offer leadership training sessions in Spanish. Having offered leadership training in the Elkhart area for many years, we have seen an increase in demand for the sessions to be taught in Spanish. Based on that feedback, as well as very positive feedback from participants in the first couple of sessions we have completed, we are confident this program will benefit both Spanish-speaking leaders and their employers,” said Joe McMurry, Senior Service Manager for Leadership Development, with Purdue MEP.

As our Spanish-speaking workforce continues to grow and strengthen, it allows educators an opportunity to provide training in Spanish as well as English. Purdue MEP and the EDC of Elkhart County are excited about this partnership as a way to continue growing the Indiana workforce to ultimately increase competitiveness.

“We are very excited to be offering select Purdue training offerings in Spanish. The EDC of Elkhart County supports diversity and inclusiveness throughout our workforce and this is an outstanding example of how Purdue MEP supports us in upskilling our workforce and providing our businesses the tools they require to stay competitive,” said Chris Stager, President & CEO of the EDC of Elkhart County.

“In this Spanish leadership series, each participant learns the skills needed to maximize performance in the workplace through a series of workshops focused on effective communication, leadership, team building, coaching, building self-confidence and trust, and managing stress. One of our goals with this Spanish leadership series is to enhance the competitiveness of the manufacturing Spanish speaker workforce across the state of Indiana,” said Stalin Encarnacion, Spanish Leadership Skills for Success Instructor, Purdue MEP.

If you would like more information about Spanish training in your community and/or organization, we encourage you to reach out to us, Purdue MEP.

 

Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County is a not-for-profit economic organization serving the community with the cities, towns, chambers of commerce, investor partners, and businesses of Elkhart County, Indiana. Their primary objectives are the retention and expansion of local businesses, attraction of new businesses to Elkhart County, and local entrepreneurial development.

Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) provides high-value solutions to help Indiana businesses maximize their success. As advocates for Indiana's thousands of manufacturers, our staff identifies areas of improvement, streamlines processes, and ultimately increases competitiveness. Purdue MEP serves over 500 companies annually by implementing continuous improvement principles in the areas of productivity, growth, and technology.

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Ranae Stewart at 317-709-0723, or email ranaestewart@purdue.edu.

 

Sources:

https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-spanish-and-where-is-it-spoken

https://qz.com/441174/by-2050-united-states-will-have-more-spanish-speakers-than-any-other-country/

https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm