INDIANAPOLIS – Aug 6, 2024 – EmployIndy is excited to announce that Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) in Indy will be expanding this Fall, including new programs at two Marion County high schools and six Marion County middle schools.  

JAG Indy is a state-affiliated program, based on a national model, that aims to keep young people in school through graduation and provide career-connected learning experiences that will lead to career advancement opportunities, or enrollment in a postsecondary institution that leads to a rewarding career. 

“EmployIndy is excited to expand JAG Indy’s reach throughout Marion County, providing career-connected learning opportunities for more students in our region,” said Marie Mackintosh, President + CEO of EmployIndy. “The experiences and skills gained through JAG play a critical part in our young people making informed career choices after high school.” 

The program’s expansion is a result of the continued success in achieving outcomes for students. JAG Indy recently achieved the National 6 of 6 award for both Multi-Year and Alternative Education programs. This award is achieved by meeting six graduation, further education, and employment standards set by the national organization. Having achieved this designation for the 9th year running, JAG Indy’s multi-year programs boasted a 98% graduation rate as well as a 75% full-time positive outcome rate, with the latter highlighting the percentage of students that entered full-time employment and/or further education. 

“We were thrilled to have recently been awarded the 6 of 6 designation from JAG National,” said Erika Seydel Cheney, VP of Career Connected Learning at EmployIndy. “The hard work from our team, our JAG Specialists, and our JAG students was deservedly recognized and will give us added confidence as we expand this year.” 

JAG Indy’s expansion in the high school space will include new programs at both Irvington Preparatory Academy and Victory College Prep. Expansion into the middle school space will include new programs at three Washington Township middle schools (Eastwood, Northview, and Westlane) as well as new programs at three IPS middle schools (H.L. Harshman, Broad Ripple, and William Penn). In addition to these new programs, JAG Indy will add an out-of-school youth focused JAG program within YouthBuild Indy, an EmployIndy led construction training program. 

To get involved, students and parents are encouraged to contact their school’s administration office to connect to their JAG Specialist. Learn more about JAG Indy by visiting www.employindy.org/youth-services/jag. 

INDIANAPOLIS – May 9, 2024 – This morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett, the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, EmployIndy, and over 50 local employers gathered at the 23rd Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards to recognize organizations who demonstrate inclusivity in the workplace and are dedicated to supporting diverse individuals and continuing progress in our community. This year’s event took place in-person at the Culinary and Conference Center at Ivy Tech Community College, with over 400 in attendance to hear local leaders share their experiences and best practices for progressing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.  

This event places a special emphasis on the importance of supporting youth employment in Marion County as proceeds go to support Project Indy, an initiative developed by Mayor Joe Hogsett in 2016 and housed within EmployIndy. Through Project Indy’s virtual platform that utilizes text messaging to recruit and onboard job seekers, nearly 18,000 young adults in Marion County have been connected to work experiences that build their employability skills and allow them to explore new career fields. 

“My congratulations to all of this year's Mayor's Celebration of Diversity Award winners,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “We extend this recognition each year because diversity is one of our city’s greatest strengths – and embracing that diversity, ensuring every resident has the opportunity to participate in our growth and success, benefits our whole community.” 

A new award was added to this year’s event; the Excellence in Service Community-Based Organization (CBO) Award. This award celebrates a non-profit community-based organization that provides excellent and inclusive workforce development services to Marion County residents and employers. 

In total, seven awards were given at this year’s event with unique focuses including celebrating the quality of services delivered by community-based organizations, impact of youth apprenticeships, good wages and employee support, excelling in youth employment, diversity in leadership, and a focus on workplace culture. 

“EmployIndy is excited to partner with Mayor Hogsett and the City of Indianapolis to recognize organizations who have proven their commitment to equitable practices in hiring, leadership, quality jobs, culture, and service delivery,” said Marie Mackintosh, president & CEO of EmployIndy. “This year’s new award for Community-Based Organizations aligns with our strategic focus on building capacity among our ecosystem partners to ensure quality career coaching and employment services are delivered across Marion County.” 

Award recipients at this year’s event are as follows: 

“Excellence in Service Community-Based Organization (CBO) Award” was awarded to Keys2Work for their provision of excellent and inclusive workforce development services to Marion County residents and employers. 

“Dr. Mechelle Polter Youth Apprenticeship Employer of the Year” was awarded to Indianapolis Airport Authority for their dedication to providing high school students with a positive trajectory to actively pursue a career by providing valuable, paid apprenticeship opportunities that complement their traditional coursework. 

“Choice Employer” was awarded to Citizens Energy Group for offering all full-time employees a good wage of $18 an hour and benefits and embodies the traits of a “Choice Employer,” by creating a work environment that focuses on supporting Career Pathways, Culture and Diversity, and Employee Resources. 

“Excellence in Youth Employment” was awarded to Arcamed LLC for their commitment to offering youth and young adults in Indianapolis an opportunity for their first job and embraces a culture that promotes the personal growth of those individuals through mentoring and advancement. 

“Diversity in Workforce” was awarded to O’Neal Manufacturing Services who, in the past year, successfully implemented best practices to support workforce diversity.  

“Diversity in Leadership” was awarded to Morales Group Staffing who cultivates an atmosphere of growth, particularly when considering upper-level diversity as well as actively supporting a diverse organizational culture. 

“Sam H. Jones ‘Best of the Best’” was awarded to Indy Equity Collaborative for exemplary performance in all aspects of diversity. 

Individuals who are interested in supporting youth employment in Marion County through Project Indy can donate online at www.employindy.org/mcod-donate. More information about Project Indy can be found at projectindy.net. 

Indianapolis – March 7, 2024 – This morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett, EmployIndy, and partners kicked off the summer hiring season by announcing the 2024 edition of the Project Indy summer jobs initiative at Victory Field. Project Indy is currently offering nearly 2,450 available positions from over 100 local employers on its online platform at projectindy.net, which makes it easier than ever for young people to get connected to employers who are hiring. 

“We’re excited to welcome the Indianapolis Indians and Victory Field into the Project Indy family of youth employers,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Since 2016, thousands of young people and hundreds of local employers have used this tool to find and fill the jobs that support a more prosperous and qualified Indy workforce.” 

Project Indy was launched in 2016 by Mayor Hogsett alongside EmployIndy, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC), and the Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY). Since its launch, Project Indy has empowered nearly 17,500 young adults in Marion County by providing work experiences that build their employability skills and allow them to explore new career fields. During that time, over 350 employers have posted open positions on the portal.  

Youth ages 16-24 can get started using Project Indy’s virtual job board by simply texting “ProjectIndy” to 317-659-9657. This easy-to-use online platform utilizes text messaging to recruit and onboard job seekers, includes a location-based tool that works to connect youth to nearby opportunities, and also allows for filtering job opportunities by interest. Once registered, job seekers can easily apply to any of the hundreds of open positions by providing a few pieces of basic information.  

By hiring young adults throughout Marion County, local employers provide soft-skill development and job-readiness training, playing an important role in training our future workforce. Employers, such as new Project Indy partner Indianapolis Indians, benefit by creating a talent pipeline for their business or industry. 

“Hiring young people is key to our success and we feel Project Indy is going to benefit us a lot in that effort,” said Business Operations Manager at the Indianapolis Indians, Sarah Haynes. “Some of our key leaders got their start in part-time or internship positions here, and we look forward to sparking career interest in our new hires.” 

EmployIndy, which administers Project Indy, will continue promoting the virtual platform through face-to-face recruiting at Indianapolis-area high schools, targeted social media campaigns, and presence at local youth hiring fairs. In 2023, over 700 young people in Indianapolis were connected to job opportunities through Project Indy.  

“Project Indy is one of our Career-Connected Learning initiatives within EmployIndy that ensures young adults are prepared for success in the 21st-century economy,” said EmployIndy President + CEO, Marie Mackintosh. “Additionally, Project Indy gives employers the opportunity to modernize their recruitment strategy through discovering, hiring, and developing the right talent.” 

In 2018, EmployIndy, in partnership with the City of Indianapolis and the Indy Chamber, launched Job Ready Indy, an online employability skills program focused on providing the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace. When an individual completes one of the online courses, a Job Ready Indy badge will appear on their Project Indy profile – notifying an interested employer that they are deemed by EmployIndy and the Indy Chamber as someone who demonstrates the “job-ready” skills important to the workplace.  

Employers interested in hiring youth can sign up to be a Project Indy partner here. Youth interested in joining the Project Indy platform can get started by simply texting “ProjectIndy” to 317-659-9657 or visiting projectindy.net.