Madison County Alliance Spotlights Workforce Partnerships
Business leaders gathered at a Thursday luncheon to review efforts to attract employers and link schools with local companies.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Remote Work
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The Madison County Alliance hosted its Future of Madison County luncheon Thursday at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino to inform business owners about developments across the county. Panel discussions reviewed current efforts to attract businesses and explored partnerships between vocational education programs and local employers.
Why it matters
Economic development depends on a local workforce, and that workforce depends on students gaining work-based learning experience. Business involvement with schools is presented as a way to connect students to future jobs in the area.
Fredericks, Inc. Contractors has spent about 15 years making workforce development a key company tenet, according to the event coverage. Attendance figures, measured partnership outcomes and the number of students placed through these programs were not reported.
The players
Madison County Alliance
The Madison County Alliance is a local economic development organization that promotes business growth and recruitment in Madison County, Indiana.
Marissa Skaggs
Marissa Skaggs serves as president and CEO of the Madison County Alliance, leading the organization's business attraction and community development work.
Jason Neal
Jason Neal is the Career and Technical Education Director and principal at D26 Career Center, overseeing vocational programs that connect students with local employers.
The details
Panelists discussed guest speakers, classroom visits, student job shadowing and internships as ways businesses can work with schools. D26 Career Center uses an online platform called Skyepack where employers post job opportunities and information about their businesses. Nick Fredericks, roofing division manager at Fredericks, Inc. Contractors, and Jason Neal, Career and Technical Education Director and principal at D26 Career Center, were among those discussing these efforts.
Timeline
Thursday, November 12, 2026: Future of Madison County luncheon held at Harrah's Hoosier Park Racing & Casino.
About 15 years ago: Fredericks, Inc. Contractors made workforce development a key company tenet.
Workforce Pipeline
The Skyepack platform used by D26 Career Center gives employers a direct channel to post openings and describe their businesses to students in Madison County. Panelists framed these school-linked postings as part of a broader effort to build the county's future workforce.
Students and parents in Madison County can look to D26 Career Center and its Skyepack postings for local employers offering internships, job shadowing and classroom visits. Employers interested in these opportunities can post openings and information about their businesses through the same platform.
The takeaway
Schools and employers that build structured work-based learning, such as internships and job shadowing, create a clearer path from the classroom to local jobs. Readers interested in local jobs can check whether area career centers post openings through their own platforms.
Further reading
For more on how employers are reaching workers across the region, see Remote Work.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Herald Bulletin.
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