In Indiana, residents with a high school diploma or GED through an associate's degree comprise the the largest pool of displaced and unemployed workers is in, according to Dave Snow of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).

The question is how best to train these workers and get them back into productive occupations.

One solution has been Purdue University's Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which is working to equip 500 unemployed Indiana residents with key high-tech skills for advanced manufacturing industry work.

Funded by the federal government, and free for displaced workers, the new TAP training focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices—skills that could launch successful manufacturing careers in a reliable profession.

"We read about it and see it all the time—families struggling," says Dave Snow, director of TAP's Manufacturing Extension Partnership. "To think you could be part of helping someone get a job to improve their quality of life is very gratifying; that really is a motivator for us."

The training is a result of funds in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) earmarked for the "green economy."

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