Recent News & Blog

Posted on June 8th, 2018 in Organizational Updates

YES Flowchart – Click to Enlarge

The Youth Employment System (YES) is a collection of local organizations that focus on empowering young adults and preparing them for the workforce. Every year, EmployIndy awards grant funding so the providers can continue and grow their programs – inspiring our youth initiative focused on impacting, engaging, and creating opportunities for young adults in Indianapolis, specifically the opportunity youth population.

This year's grant recipients are as follows: Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE), Edna Martin Christian Center, Fathers and Families, Flanner House, Hawthorne, Keys to Work, Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, PACE, and TeenWorks.

CAFE – Far Eastside Opportunity Youth Re-Engagement Center
The Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE) is a comprehensive, multi-service center serving Indianapolis’ Far Eastside. Their program is aimed towards providing services for opportunity youth. This program will be a component of the first Pivot Re-engagement Center in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club on the far eastside.

Edna Martin Christian Center – Opportunity Youth Support and Training
Edna Martin is part of the Center for Working Families network in Martindale Brightwood, providing the 14 Elements of Training to opportunity youth in order to grow the workforce and provide them with support and employability skills to succeed.

Fathers and Families – Strong Fathers PASSPORT Program
Fathers and Families’ Strong Fathers PASSPORT Program is a three-week class designed to equip participants with knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to become excellent fathers, husbands, and wage earners.

Flanner House – F.E.E.D. Program
The F.E.E.D. (Farming, Education, Employment, and Distribution) program housed by Flanner House will help opportunity youth develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the area of Logistic and Supply Chain management by managing produce that comes from the Urban Farm.

Hawthorne Community Center – Opportunity Youth Support and Training
Hawthorne will be using the funding to continue and enhance their Center for Working Families workforce development component. This specific delivery model focuses on providing services to underemployed and unemployed community members, with a focus on vulnerable populations, access to mainstream economy, and quality employment.

Keys to Work – Making Work Pay Program
Keys to Work will be serving transitioning opportunity youth through the Make Work Pay program. Each program participant will receive a paid work experience through RecycleForce. When complete, participants will be eligible for temporary work assignment and able to continue education and/or training programs without interruption.

Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center – Opportunity Youth Support and Training
Mary Rigg is part of the network of Center for Working Families and will be providing one-on-one employment, financial and community supports coaching, and group workshops for opportunity youth. The young adults will complete Job Ready Indy which includes many of YES's 14 Elements of Training. Once this is finished, they will be encouraged to enroll in post-secondary education, vocational training, and a variety of work experiences.

PACE – Barrier Buster Support for Past Offenders
PACE will be engaging with opportunity youth who have been charged with a felony offense by delivering education, employment training, job placement, and retention services. While they are providing these employability services, they will be giving them necessary barrier-busting support to achieve gainful employment as well as leadership and life skills to prevent them from re-offending and living successful lives.

TeenWorks – Alumni Services for Opportunity Youth
TeenWorks Alumni Services is a program that will focus on re-engaging with past TeenWorks participants who have become disengaged from education and the workforce. A program manager will facilitate professional development training, coordinate industry experiences, and manage participants' individual career paths in order to provide them with the necessities to excel in the workforce.


Posted on May 3rd, 2018 in Organizational Updates

Jessica Brown, 1955-2018

As EmployIndy strives to guide the workforce here in Indianapolis, we find ourselves in a position of focus on connecting people to jobs and careers. But a job is more than a paycheck. More than skills. More than a bottom line. More than a worker, and more than an employer. Employment brings people together, for a common goal, in a place where personal, human interactions take place daily.

On April 18th, the EmployIndy family learned that our dear coworker and friend, Jessica Brown, passed away suddenly. Words like “shocked” and “saddened” don't do justice to the impact that we all felt in the days since. Jessica has been a bright spot – a source of laughter and kindness – at EmployIndy for over a decade. Handling our key administrative duties, she maintained a steady hand on calendars, organization, board administration, meetings, and day-to-day office life through various leadership and organizational changes.

Her desk was adorned with photos of nature – animals and flowers keeping a colorful watch on the office as she supported our mission with a personal and professional investment. She was the “mom” of the office. She was the phone call, the email, the quip, the smile, and the hug that we all leaned on.

We will be accepting donations toward a new scholarship that is being created in Jessica's honor. The scholarship will be awarded to a young adult that exemplifies Jessica's spirit through dedication, hard work, a passion for community service, a genuine interest in the lives of their peers, and random acts of kindness. In this first year, the student must be a high school senior enrolled in Jobs for America's Graduates and can be nominated by one of their JAG peers, a JAG specialist, or a member of the JAG administrative team. The award will be presented at the Annual Senior Send-off Celebration at the end of the school year, with the possibility of becoming an annual award – DONATE HERE.

We thank all of our friends and partners for the kind words, shared stories, and patience as we work through this difficult time. Jessica's memory lives on in the work that we do every day.

Angela Carr Klitzsch
EmployIndy President & CEO


Posted on March 15th, 2018 in Organizational Updates
Employ Up Manager Brian Lawrence with Award

Employ Up Manager Brian Lawrence with Award

In October of 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) distributed “Ready to Work” funding to grantees with a mission to help Americans struggling to maintain employment, move from unemployment to Any Job, Better Job, then ultimately, a Career. This would result in building an impactful and effective workforce ecosystem for cities throughout the nation. (The ABC concept is a cornerstone of EmployIndy's 5-year strategic plan.)

EmployIndy's Employ Up program is the product of DOL's “Ready to Work” grant. Employ Up focuses on working alongside individuals who are unemployed or underemployed by providing them with free skills training, job search support, and access to high-tech companies seeking local talent.

Today, Employ Up was awarded the “Most Innovative Bootcamp” award  by the US Department of Labor at the DOL convening in Washington, D.C. This award was given to the grantee who used a classroom-style career development, skills training bootcamp. Employ Up's Career Prep course was specifically recognized for the depth of the elements covered, finding ways to implement new technology, and the “new school approach to the job search.” This program found a way to make career development a unique experience for the students by utilizing technology-driven, modern classroom activities such as video mock interviews.

Learn more about the Employ Up program at EmployUp.org.


TIF Training Grants

The funding for TIF Training Grants comes from the NextLevel Jobs program, overseen by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. These grantees are reimbursed for their work to hire, train, and retain Indianapolis workers. It removes the financial barriers that many employers face during the hiring process and allows them to provide opportunities for growth and employee success throughout the training process.

Story of Impact

Increasing Employer and Workforce Engagement

The vision behind NextLevel Jobs stems from the need to engage the current workforce and provide individuals with opportunities to grow within their company. In order to receive reimbursement for hiring and training, the employee must stay on for at minimum six months.

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