Workforce Needs in Indianapolis

The Covid-19 pandemic rapidly accelerated regional demand for degreed talent and slowed demand for non-degreed talent, significantly shifting toward the need for more workers with postsecondary education, credentials, and degrees. However, fewer high school students are pursuing postsecondary education or completing a credential or degree. This decline in postsecondary enrollment and educational attainment is sharpest for Black and Hispanic/Latino students, especially males. 

Equity gaps in postsecondary education reflect those found in the workforce. Black and Hispanic/Latino residents in Marion County also experience significant attainment gaps in employment and lower median wages compared to white residents. 

EmployIndy serves a region with a higher concentration of people in poverty and people of color than our state overall. This includes nearly 30,000 Opportunity Youth, aged 16-24, in our community who are disconnected from education and or employment.

Theories of Change

To address the evolving needs and challenges of the Marion County workforce, four theories of change ground our Strategic Plan.

Career-Connected Learning

Career-connected learning prepares students for success in the 21st-century economy by providing real-world work experiences with local businesses to inform career choices and build skills.

Coaching + Training

As the economy evolves and businesses grow to require workers with additional specialized skills, postsecondary training is a necessity for most workers. Coaching helps students and jobseekers navigate options and persist through completion.

Talent Connection

As an intermediary, EmployIndy serves both workers seeking employment and businesses seeking workers. Individualized connection services create efficiencies in the job-placement process, offering assistance to ensure the best fit for both parties. 

Good Jobs

Businesses will be competitive and thrive in the global marketplace when they invest in job quality and wage equity practices in collaboration with the workforce ecosystem to provide high-quality experiences for their workers to prosper.

Strategic Goals

To prioritize operational efforts, effectively allocate resources, and drive impact, EmployIndy has identified four Strategic Goals that will guide our work across four organizational interventions:

1. Elevate implementation of high-quality initiatives for individuals and employers to succeed in a rapidly changing 21st Century economy. 
2. Build capacity among ecosystem partners to ensure quality services through training and support across Marion County. 
3. Utilize data to prioritize equity among interventions in the workforce development ecosystem that lead to economic mobility.
4. Promote and support systems change to ensure an enabling environment that promotes success in the education through workforce pipeline.

Strategic Initiatives

Each organizational intervention is driven by a set of Strategic Initiatives to promote equity and quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents. EmployIndy will engage in Advocacy that drives Systems Change to ensure sustainability and scale of interventions that systemically address some of the root causes for equity gaps in educational attainment, in good and promising jobs, and for Opportunity Youth.