INDIANAPOLIS — Today, October 11, 2022, EmployIndy, Marion County’s Workforce Development Board, has named Marie Mackintosh as its new president and CEO. Effective immediately, Mackintosh succeeds Angela Carr Klitzsch who has led the organization under Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration since June 2016. Mackintosh joined EmployIndy alongside Carr Klitzsch in June 2016 when she was appointed as the chief operating officer, most recently serving as the organization’s chief strategy officer.

“An Indianapolis native, Marie is keenly aware of the challenges residents face accessing good jobs in a post-pandemic economy with disproportionate opportunity,” said Mayor Hogsett. “She brings deep and valued relationships with key community stakeholders, officials, employers and funders who will pursue thoughtful and equitable workforce solutions for our community.”

Most recently, Mackintosh has led implementation of pivotal investments to improve the local workforce ecosystem, including talent development strategies aimed at addressing systemic barriers for employers and job seekers, including the New Skills Ready Network, Modern Apprenticeship, Talent Bound and Rapid Re-Employment Response. These integrated investments are aimed at ensuring students and job seekers have equitable postsecondary options – informed through career-connected learning – that offer economic mobility through good jobs and good wages, providing a diverse and well-prepared talent pool for Indianapolis employers to grow and thrive.

“I am incredibly proud of innovative solutions that EmployIndy and its partners have created for employers and workers alike during my first six years at EmployIndy,” said Mackintosh, “but our most important work continues to be ensuring a diverse and skilled workforce has equitable access to economic mobility through good jobs.”

In Marion County, the median income of white households is almost twice that of Black households, affirming that all opportunities are not created equal and that a concerted effort must continue to ensure we are building up our communities, households, and residents of color. From July 2021 to June 2022, EmployIndy assisted 50,000 Indianapolis residents, and of those who self-identified, 75% were people of color.

“New EmployIndy initiatives like Choice Employers and Good Wages are helping employers implement hiring and employment practices that will close this opportunity gap as job access, performance, satisfaction, and retention improve,” said Jay Styles, senior director, business partnerships. “Job quality boosts talent attraction in a big way and has currency when filling skilled positions.”

The Good Wages Initiative certifies, celebrates, and showcases Marion County employers that have voluntarily committed to providing full-time employees with a living wage – $18 per hour – and health insurance benefits, and is a recommended hiring and promotions strategy of Business Equity for Indy. Launched just this year, 58 local employers, representing 18 industries and over 23,400 workers are already committed to increasing worker wages by $4.2 million annually.

“As a Good Wages employer with a commitment to equity, EmployIndy sets the highest equity standards for itself as an employer in our community,” said Aman Brar, EmployIndy board chair. “In her new position, Marie will continue to drive thoughtful and equitable solutions through data- and partner-informed processes that further our goal of increasing access.”

Mackintosh brings over 20 years of relevant experience to this role, having worked immediately prior to EmployIndy in various leadership roles at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, in marketing at a global manufacturer, and in advising and program development at Butler and Depauw universities, respectively. She holds an MBA from Butler University and a BA from Indiana University, she was named one of Indy’s Best and Brightest in 2017 and has served on committees and boards convened by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Indy Chamber, Ascend Indiana, Business Equity for Indy, Far Eastside Collective Impact Council, Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, and IndyFringe.

All 6 badges will now be accessible online, for completion at individual’s own desired pace

INDIANAPOLIS – 7 February 2022 –  To increase access for all Marion County residents regardless of age or experience level, Job Ready Indy (JRI) will launch its curriculum online on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. The online Job Ready Indy curriculum, an employability skills badging system, expands the scope beyond the original in-person programming.

Job Ready Indy was developed in collaboration with Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett's office, EmployIndy, the Indy Chamber, and various employers and community organizations from across Marion County.  Since its launch in 2018, JRI has served over 3,100 participants through employability skills curriculum, intensive in-person discussions, and comprehensive enrichment activities.

“The expansion of the Job Ready Indy curriculum to an online format will allow all Marion County residents, not just young people, the opportunity to utilize this critical resource,” said Mayor Hogsett. “By increasing the number of residents equipped with fundamental skills to enter the workforce, we’re boosting the talent pool for employers and growing our local economy.”

Starting February 15, participants can earn each of the 6 JRI badges, learn new skills, and enhance their overall career competency through online interactive courses on EmployIndy's Learning Hub. Participants can engage with the JRI courses on their own or through a trained JRI Provider. The badge courses are accessed through a personalized login and can be completed on a computer or mobile device at the individual’s desired pace. Badges are digitally awarded and automatically displayed on participants’ Learning Hub profile or Project Indy profile (if applicable). They can also be downloaded as a transcript and added to participants’ professional portfolio, listed on their resume, or shared directly with employers.

This expanded version also includes updated skills within each of the six badges, aligning with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development's (DWD) own shift in employability skills definitions.

“No matter how much workplace experience a person may have, the expanded online curriculum helps build and enhance durable competencies needed to take their career to the next level,” said EmployIndy President & CEO, Angela Carr Klitzsch, “Employers can continue to hire Job Ready Indy participants with confidence, knowing that they have the foundational employability skills needed for today's workplace.”

Additionally, EmployIndy has developed optional, in-person one-on-one or small group activities for JRI providers to lead participants in. These supplemental activities dive deeper into the online content of each badge, promoting relationship-building and allowing providers to give hands-on support to each participant.

A virtual informational session will be held on Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 9:00-10:00 AM for existing JRI Providers and members of the EmployIndy Ecosystem who are interested in becoming a JRI Provider for the first time. This info session will outline new content and the online delivery method, as well as walk through what both providers and participants can expect from this experience. Registration for the virtual information session can be found here.

To learn more about Job Ready Indy or to access participant or provider information, visit www.jobreadyindy.org.

About EmployIndy
EmployIndy guides the local workforce ecosystem and makes strategic investments to remove barriers to quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents. Our vision is for all Marion County residents to have access to services and training necessary to secure a livable wage and grow in a career that meets employer demand for talent. As the workforce development board for Marion County, guided by 24 business, civic, education and nonprofit community leaders, EmployIndy invests $25 million in public, private and philanthropic funds for both youth and adults annually. Learn more at employindy.org.

Central Indiana is home to over 30,000 Opportunity Youth– young adults, ages 16 to 24, who have disengaged from secondary education or are disconnected from the workforce upon graduation. Basic financial education is a need that often goes unmet for this group of individuals, making progress and stability difficult for themselves and their families. Due to being disengaged and disconnected, accessing basic financial education is often difficult or sometimes impossible.

Thanks to a partnership between Fifth Third Bank and YES Indy, however, Opportunity Youth now have an avenue through which they can access basic financial education, by participating in the YES Indy Power Huddle program. In efforts to re-engage Marion County’s Opportunity Youth and create a positive trajectory for these young people, EmployIndy launched YES Indy REC in 2018. Shortly thereafter, the Power Huddle, a two-week job readiness experience that helps Opportunity Youth get connected and improve their daily mindsets, was launched as the forward-facing program of YES Indy REC.

The Power Huddle supports overall YES Indy efforts by teaching young people ways in which they can change their future trajectory as well as engage in a variety of employability skills that will help them map out and work towards reaching their academic, career, and life goals. With a growing inventory of both experience and participation, the YES Indy team sought to expand the Power Huddle curriculum to include additional pillars of comprehensive wellness. The two-week intensive is already designed to focus on mindfulness, character, purpose, resilience, visioning, time management, work ethic, and learning strategies, but financial education as a key component of sustainable livelihood was missing. 

To address the need for financial education within this population, YES Indy’s Power Huddle was financially assisted by the Fifth Third Foundation through a grant award in partnership with EmployIndy. This investment will allow YES Indy to integrate Fifth Third Bank’s Financial Education for High School course into our Power Huddle programming. Additionally, participants without a High School Diploma or Equivalency will go through High School Equivalency/Adult Basic Education courses. 

“Fifth Third Bank is excited to partner with EmployIndy and integrate the Bank’s financial education for high school students through their Power Huddle program. We are committed to deepening the financial resources and education throughout the communities in which we live and serve, and EmployIndy is a great partner in making this vision come to life.” said Nashelle Frazier, Community and Economic Development Manager at Fifth Third.

In September of 2021, the Power Huddle incorporated a new program practitioner, Tawnya McCrary, a consultant with Training for Success, LLC., who has numerous years of experience in working with Opportunity Youth. Fifth Third Bank’s investment will allow the Power Huddle service provider to add one part-time employee, a Financial Education Coordinator, to facilitate the course as well as identify participants who will benefit from this opportunity and connect them to enrollment. Funding will be utilized to provide a $200 Earn ‘n’ Learn stipend as an incentive for each individual who completes the Power Huddle successfully, and an additional $100 deposit for completing the Financial Academy course. 

Based on a Power Huddle cohort from 2019, the goals of implementing this grant from Fifth Third Bank are as follows: 

• Out of the 60 Opportunity Youth participants enrolled in this experience. . . 
  • 75% will complete Power Huddle and Job Ready Indy Badges (45 Opportunity Youth participants)
  • 50% will gain skills in basic reading and math (30 Opportunity Youth participants)
  • 25% will earn a High School Equivalency credential (15 Opportunity Youth participants)
  • 75% will complete Financial Literacy Education (45 Opportunity Youth participants)
  • 75% of participants without a bank account will create one (45 Opportunity Youth participants)

The project will immediately be implemented from the award date for 12 months, from November 1, 2021, to October 31, 2022. During this grant period, 6 cohorts of 10 students (60 participants total) will attend Power Huddle sessions, with each cohort lasting two weeks, Monday through Friday. Short-term outcomes include Opportunity Youth gaining knowledge of financial wellness, improved workplace readiness skills, and barriers reduced to education and employment. The long-term impact of this programming includes a positive youth trajectory, a better workforce ecosystem, and a reduction in the regional poverty rate.

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Fifth Third Foundation.