If education is the key to success, Cass County is falling behind.

Of the county’s work-ready population, 14 percent, or approximately 3,800 people between the ages of 25 and 62, do not hold a high school diploma or general education development certificate.

Another 4.6 percent do not even have a ninth-grade education.

In light of the problem — the state average is 10 percent — Skip Kuker, president of Logansport Economic Development Foundation, is hoping to set up a mentor plan to encourage more people to secure their GED and even proceed on to higher education.

He hopes such a program will eventually reduce Logansport’s rate to 10 percent.

“We are starting to get a group of people together to talk about this,” Kuker said. “We would like to have a broad selection of people who are willing to coach people through the process and be there to pick them up if they ever don’t make it through.

“We have got to develop these kind of changes to stay competitive.”

Speaking at Friday’s LEDF board meeting, Kuker said discussions are in their infancy, but he hopes to get various boards, business owners, church groups, clubs and organizations on board and involved with mentoring.

While extensive research is required to identify what facilities might be used in such a program, Kuker said existing public transit and computer labs at schools and libraries are options.

By using what is already available, he said, the cost of the program could be kept to a minimum.

“We want to use what we’ve already got,” Kuker said. “We have got some good facilities here and with a combination of those facilities there is no need to build a new education center.”

Board members appeared encouraged by the idea.

With am under-qualified workforce, Myers Spring president Todd Miller said the county is potentially unattractive to economic development opportunities that require skilled workers.

He said the problems are emphasized by employees who, without a GED, are unable to take the higher education courses needed.

“In the economy of today and the competition that there is to us, as a community, you have got to be concerned about that,” Miller said. “You can’t get into Purdue and Ivy Tech courses without a GED.”

He added that with a 12-percent rate of unemployment, the excuse that people do not have the time to participate should be irrelevant.

Logansport Mayor Mike Fincher argued that education is a generational concept, and if adults go through higher education to receive a bachelor’s degree, it is likely their children will too.

He added times have changed and that people need to adapt to remain marketable.

“People have got to realize that they are not going to go to Chrysler anymore and make $90,000 a year,” Fincher said. “That isn’t going to happen.”

Brian King, of King Oil, asked if there was a way to support those in the 18-to-25 age bracket who might also be seeking GED certificates.

Kuker said that is an area the program needs to address in order to be a success.

“We need to make sure that people don’t drop out and also find how to get more people into the education system,” he said.

One potential location for a GED center might be Logansport’s existing Ivy Tech building. With the new campus set to open in 2010, the building will become available.

Kuker is hoping to market the site for economic development purposes, but is waiting to receive detailed information about its components.

“We first need to look at infrastructure such as its fiber and phone lines to see what, if any, conversions need to be made,” he said. “It could be conducive to the education program, but we will have to wait and see.”

Kevin Smith can be contacted at (574) 732-5148 or via e-mail at kevin.smith@pharostribune.com