MARION, Ind — Indiana Wesleyan University has a new mobile career lab.
On Thursday, university leaders held a ribbon cutting and shared how it will offer Hoosiers the opportunity to gain job skills.
"We're strategically focused on marginalized communities, communities of color, first-generation students, helping adults, kind of, move to where they are to where they want to be," said Carla Biro, director of career labs at IWU.
Leaders want to meet Hoosiers where they are.
"It's very important to us that we are mobilized and out in our community, similar to what we want to do with our schools and our churches. We want to be where the people are," said Dr. Karen Dowling, vice president for diversity and intercultural integration at IWU.
Inside the mobile unit, Hoosiers can receive an array of services.
"What we noticed is folks in the community aren't sure how to ask the questions, not sure exactly where to go, how to take that first step," Biro said.
According to Biro, Hoosiers' wants and needs will be addressed through assessments, which are estimated to take about 45 minutes.
"This particular assessment promotes not just identifying those careers individuals may be passionate about, but also helping to promote retention," Biro said.
It's all to help promote job retention.
According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor statistics, 122,000 Hoosiers, or 3.6%, are unemployed, which is just shy of the national average.
A study by Scholaroo ranked Indiana among the worst states in the nation for job opportunities, coming in 48th.
IWU leaders said they want to change that.
"There are a lot of different ways to reaching the goal of a meaningful life, so we hope that this van opens up some of those doors," said Eileen Hulme, chancellor at IWU-National & Global Campus.
These doors can help Hoosiers gain a GED or high school diploma.
"We're trying to work toward financial self-sufficiency," Biro said.
According to Biro, a team will also work to remove barriers, like food insecurity, housing support and access to child care.
"I'm not saying that we can alleviate it all, but we want to make them know where they can go to find that support that they need," Biro said.
IWU leaders said they anticipate reaching about 150 people.