Dear Partners and Friends,
2022 has been a year of significant growth and transformation for EmployIndy. As the year comes to a close, we are especially grateful to our Board and to each of our local, statewide, and national partners for working with our team to make real our vision that all residents in Indianapolis will have the opportunity to achieve economic prosperity. Creating equitable opportunities has never been more important than it is today as we work to address some of the significant challenges the pandemic left in its wake, as illuminated in our recent report, Indiana’s Evolving Labor Market, released in partnership with Ascend Indiana. In short, too few people in our community are gaining the credentials currently required by businesses with open positions across sectors, and we must be bold in our collective efforts to reverse this troubling trend. As I look back on our work from July of 2021 to June of 2022, I am hopeful despite our current realities. I could not be prouder of the promising practices and strong outcomes of our growing education and employment programs. We had over 31,000 in-person visits at WorkOne Indy; provided nearly 23,000 career exploration experiences to K-12 Marion County students through Talent Bound; and engaged 4,677 individuals in work-based learning experiences. We also placed 1,489 individuals into good and promising jobs through Wednesdays@WorkOne and Rapid Re-Employment Response, which launched in the early days of the pandemic. All of this good work was only made possible through the engagement of 2,198 Indianapolis employers in talent development strategies and placement services; the partnership of more than 160 education, training, community-based, and service providers throughout our workforce ecosystem; the investment of over $20,216,434 in local programs and initiatives from federal, state, local, corporate, and philanthropic funds; and the dedicated EmployIndy team of 82 education and workforce professionals. In total, we served over 50,000 residents of Indianapolis, and of those who self-identified, 75% were people of color. As we prepare to launch our new strategic plan in early 2023, EmployIndy remains focused on investing in our communities, households, and underrepresented residents. We will take what we have learned as practitioners and from our partners to build better systems that create more scalable and equitable outcomes for the people of our community. In fact, we are already engaging in systems change efforts and plan to accelerate this work in the coming years.
- Modern Apprenticeship, in partnership with the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Ascend Indiana, is changing employer practices on minimum age requirements for employment both locally and nationally.
- Through the Accelerate ED initiative, EmployIndy and its partners have created a blueprint for a high-quality cybersecurity pathway beginning in high school and accelerating the attainment of an associate degree in year 13.
- The Indianapolis New Skills Ready Network, funded through JPMorgan Chase & Co, has partnered with state leaders to create a career advising framework that establishes standards, milestones, and strategies by K-12 grade band.
- With our partners, EmployIndy is tackling dominant narratives with the Walton Family Foundation and Wonder to change the story around traditional postsecondary choices as the only quality options for economic opportunity.
- Launched in 2022 as part of an Enhancing Opportunity in Indianapolis grant, the Good Wages Initiative will close the year with 60+ certified employers, representing 18 industries and nearly 25,000 workers, who have committed to increasing worker wages by $5M. As a Good Wages employer, EmployIndy’s commitment to more equitable hiring and employment practices has resulted in a staff that is 42% racially and ethnically diverse, with more work to do to mirror the community we serve.
In the new year, we will continue to work to close the opportunity gap by focusing on career-connected learning, investing in quality coaching and training, facilitating connections to good jobs, and ensuring the business community offers more good jobs across sectors. Thank you for all of your contributions to the positive impact that EmployIndy has had, and will continue to have, across our community. Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in 2023! Kind Regards, 
Marie Mackintosh, President & CEO EmployIndy
