Muncie Manufacturing Alliance, Ivy Tech Community College Working Together to Build a Skilled, Educated Workforce
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The Muncie Manufacturing Alliance (MMA), co-led by Stephen Brand, General Manager of Magna, and Todd Murray, President and CEO of Mursix Corporation, announced that the MMA is endorsing Ivy Tech Community College Muncie Campus as their exclusive educational resource for its members. Ivy Tech Muncie has committed to offer specialized programs to help local manufacturers train encumbered employees, new hires, co-brand recruiting efforts and provide professional development resources. 
“The partnership with Ivy Tech and MMA will continue to provide a collective approach and create opportunities for employees to develop and, in turn, will help our industry grow,” Brand says. “For the last couple of years, Magna had an industrial maintenance need, much like many of our MMA partners. We invested in our employees to ‘grow our own’ industrial maintenance technicians. Ivy Tech created pathways for our employees, has been flexible with scheduling, and tailored the program to fit industry needs. Connecting Magna employees with other MMA members’ employees will allow greater opportunity for more training and ultimately in growing the advanced technology industry.”
“Ivy Tech is a local asset,” Murray says. “Even as new organizations come to Muncie, our local economic development, and the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, are realizing how easy it is to work with Muncie’s local Ivy Tech. Many of our organizations face the same challenges, so working collectively can help us pool resources, share intel, and future growth so that as an industry sector we can leverage strategies and mitigate impact. Ivy Tech has provided educational resources to many of our Mursix employees, and their graduates are some of our best associates.”
“Ivy Tech Muncie is proud of the endorsement from the MMA,” Chancellor Jeffery D. Scott says. “The entire College is committed to this partnership. Our strategic plan for this partnership is multi-pronged, entire team approach. Muncie’s economic footprint is growing in manufacturing. We must be nimble, flexible and offer tailored programming to help provide Muncie’s manufacturers 
with a skilled, knowledgeable, and educated workforce. True growth cannot happen in a vacuum. Industry, education, government entities, and economic development working together is essential. Ivy Tech will continue to work with industry to always do the right things for the right reasons.”
Jennifer Gasiorek, Vice Chancellor of Workforce Partnerships and Strategic Communication, will coordinate the effort with the Career Link team, academic teams, enrollment, student success, and development to provide strategic framework for this initiative. Ivy Tech has worked with many of the MMA members in the past; however, the endorsement will help those smaller employers work together.
“We know that not all manufacturers are as large as Magna and Mursix. If one or two students come from multiple organizations participate, then we can run the course cost-effectively while providing quality, customized programming to help companies grow their talent. I’m excited to brainstorm and collaborate with our Ivy Tech team, MMA partners, and provide customized solutions,” Gasiorek says.
The next MMA meeting will be at Ivy Tech’s Cowan Road location on January 18th at 3:00 p.m. For more information about MMA please contact Stephen Brand, stephen.brand@magna.com, or Todd Murray, tmurray@mursix.com. To learn more about Ivy Tech’s workforce training opportunities contact Jennifer Gasiorek, jgasiorek@ivytech.edu.
About Muncie Manufacturing Alliance
The Muncie Manufacturing Alliance (MMA) is a consortium comprised of over 50 local manufacturing leaders. The MMA meets quarterly to share and discuss ideas, issues, and strategies that lead to local industry growth.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns to the needs of the community. The
College provides seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a Bachelor’s degree. Follow Ivy Tech on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for the most up-to-date information.
