Check out some highlights from 2017!

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The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program is a federal entitlement program that assists U.S. workers who have lost or may lose their jobs as a result of foreign trade. This program seeks to provide adversely affected workers with opportunities to obtain the skills, credentials, resources, and support necessary to become reemployed.

Marion county has experienced dislocations recently in which workers qualify for TAA benefits, which are managed through WorkOne Indy American Job Centers. Below are two testimonials from local residents who have applied for and received benefits.

I started working with the TAA program right after I found out I was losing my job. I decided that I wanted to pursue my MBA and receive training assistance from the TAA program. I worked with Maritha and have not been disappointed. She has taken great care of me and answered all of my questions! The whole TAA process was very long and time consuming, but Maritha made the whole transition very smooth and made sure I knew what I needed to be accepted into the program. I was accepted into the program to have my tuition and books completely paid for by the TAA program! The documentation portion of the program takes a lot of time, but the benefits are so much greater! I can’t wait to continue to work with Maritha and the rest of the TAA team throughout my training.

Kelsey Cohen

Kelsey Cohen now works for CALUMET GP, LLC as an Human Resources Generalist earning $60,000.00, she will begin training in February 2018 pursuing her MBA at Kelly School of Business.

My name is Michael Brooks I have had a very good experience working with the TAA team on my TAA/RTAA. Devon Banks has worked extremely hard with me on my resume my and interviewing skills. It has truly been my pleasure to have worked with her. She is the reason I was able to get my job with Lilly and I am really grateful for her help. I started my employment on November 27, 2017 and my rate of pay is $22.60 an hour.

Thank you for all you do!

Michael Brooks

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – EmployIndy was awarded the Community Crime Prevention Phase II grant from the Indianapolis Foundation, a Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) affiliate. The purpose of this grant is to provide intentional and immediate programming focused on community safety and preventing crimes committed by youth and young adults.

One of EmployIndy’s strategic goals focuses on impacting young adults in Marion County, funding initiatives through city partners and provide programming to serve at least 50% of the 30,000 opportunity youth population within the next five years. To assist in implementing this strategic plan, EmployIndy received another grant from the Indianapolis Foundation on August 11, 2017.

Since receiving the Community Crime Prevention Phase II grant, EmployIndy has been spearheading an E^7 Essentials Model in partnership with several community and neighborhood organizations on the Far Eastside.

This location for the initial re-engagement center was chosen because it is both in one of EmployIndy’s strategic target impact areas and it is deemed an Indianapolis “hot spot” by Mayor Joe Hogsett. A “hot spot” is defined as a Marion County area experiencing the most poverty and unemployment attributed to crime.

The E^7 Essentials Model is designed to engage opportunity youth, ages 16-24, in target neighborhoods by co-locating participant services and activities that support seven essential employment elements: Exposure, Empowerment, Engagement, Exploration, Experience, Education, Employment. The elements develop work, life, and leadership skills that ultimately empower meaningful pathways to jobs and position a young person for workforce success.

The establishment of the E^7 Essentials Model is different from the opportunity youth programs EmployIndy is currently funding because it will replicate a neighborhood or community center-based access point for re-engagement services with a focus directed specifically towards disconnected youth and young adults.

Rodney Francis, EmployIndy Senior Director of Opportunity Youth Services, describes EmployIndy’s drive by stating that “our strategy will be to catalyze re-engagement centers in a way that holistically integrates best practices and promising approaches for serving youth and young adults who are disconnected from either education or employment due to significant barriers precluding labor force participation.”

EmployIndy’s goal is to reduce barriers for youth so they may enter the workforce as they reach adulthood, feeling both empowered and aware of the career pathways and opportunities available in order to reach their dreams.

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