Tanya Hall, Purdue University Extension community development regional educator, was selected as the north central region content coordinator with the AgriProspects Workforce Development Network. (Photo by Tom Campbell/Agricultural Communications) 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tanya Hall, Purdue University Extension community development regional educator, has been selected as the north central region content coordinator with the AgriProspects Workforce Development Network.

The network is a collaboration between the Extension Foundation and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy’s Economic and Workforce Development Program Action Team, supported through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The AgriProspects project led by Hall and her team is supported through a USDA NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Education and Extension Workforce Development competitive grant.

AgriProspects fosters regional cooperation, identifies workforce ecosystem gaps and offers collaborative, adaptive solutions to local and regional employment challenges. Hall will focus on increasing awareness of and expanding access to Extension resources, which enhance skill levels, facilitate credential attainment and prepare participants for successful entry or reentry into the workforce.

Hall and a team of extension regional coordinators will also work to achieve the following key project objectives:

• Creating a dynamic clearinghouse to organize and share Extension’s adult workforce development (AWD) offerings for the agricultural sector.
• Developing and supporting a sustainable network of Extension educators and industry partners to strengthen the alignment of Extension’s agricultural AWD offerings with real-time industry needs.
• Connecting employers, workforce intermediaries and the agricultural workforce to Extension’s skill development programs that cultivate upskilling, credentialing and participant readiness to successfully join or rejoin the ag workforce.
• Supporting the creation, evolution, expansion and integration of extension AWD programs locally, regionally and nationally through AgriProspects’ mini-grant funding.

Hall leads Purdue Extension’s workforce development efforts. During this grant period, she will prioritize working with the 12 north central states and their respective land-grant institutions.

“Workforce development is a national issue and Purdue Extension has a long history of providing skill-based education and training to Indiana residents to help them advance their careers and volunteer efforts,” Hall said. “We are providing leadership in helping the national effort to catalogue the ongoing efforts in adult agricultural workforce development programming and elevate the opportunities for collaboration across land-grant institutions." 

Visit the AgriProspects Workforce Development Network on the Extension Foundation’s website to learn more. For questions, contact Hall at tjhall@purdue.edu.  

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