INDIANAPOLIS – EmployIndy, Marion County’s Workforce Development Board and local workforce intermediary, is excited to announce its acceptance into the U.S. Department of Labor’s first ever cohort of the Job Quality Academy. The Job Quality Academy, designed and operated in partnership with Jobs For the Future (JFF), will provide EmployIndy the opportunity to build a greater understanding of job quality principles, how to incorporate them into their policies and programs, and develop methods and tools for assessing progress.

Good jobs are the foundation of an equitable economy that lifts workers and families and makes businesses more competitive, but many Americans lack work that provides them with decent pay, benefits, safety, or hours that allow them to take care of both their work and home responsibilities. These problems are even more pronounced for workers from historically marginalized communities and in certain industries, such as hospitality and the care economy.

The U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce identified principles of a good job, which include equitable recruitment and hiring; benefits; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); empowerment and representation; job security and working conditions; organizational culture; pay; and skills and career advancement. A good job is one that helps workers achieve economic stability and mobility, while prioritizing diversity and worker voice.

“We know the Job Quality Academy will add even more momentum to our efforts around good jobs, that we’ve outlined in our recently launched three-year strategic plan as well as the implementation of our Choice Employers initiative,” said Marie Mackintosh, president and CEO of EmployIndy. “Marion County businesses will be competitive and thrive when they invest in job quality and wage equity practices, leading to an increase in the number of good jobs in our regional economy and more prosperous workers.”

As expectations on employers to offer quality jobs in Central Indiana are rising, EmployIndy has recently launched its Choice Employers initiative to help Marion County organizations find the right combination of actions to reduce turnover, offer a strong company culture, and be considered an ideal place to work. Through the Good Wages Initiative, a pillar of Choice Employers, EmployIndy has already certified over 70 local employers, representing 18 industries and nearly 25,000 workers, who have committed to increasing worker wages by $5.1M.

With the additional three pillars of the Choice Employer initiative including Culture and Diversity, Employee Supports, and Career Pathways, EmployIndy will utilize the learnings and best practices from the Job Quality Academy to strengthen and increase its impact locally.

Launched in Spring 2023 and set to span roughly 6 months, including two 3-day in-person summits in Washington, DC, the Job Quality Academy comprises up to 16 teams, including workforce boards, state workforce boards, state workforce agencies, and tribal organizations, representing communities across the nation. To maximize learning, EmployIndy has invited representatives from three local employer partners, B&W Plumbing and Heating, IEC-Indy, and UA Local 440, to join them for the duration of the academy. With construction industry roles in high-demand, EmployIndy’s Job Quality Academy team chose these partners in order to produce a template that is replicable throughout all industries.

To learn more about the Job Quality Academy, visit www.jff.org/job-quality-academy. To learn more about becoming a Choice Employer in Marion County, visit www.employindy.org/choice-employers or contact Lora Steele at lsteele@nullemployindy.org.

INDIANAPOLIS – April 17, 2023 – This morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett, City-County Council President Vop Osili, EmployIndy, and community partners announced the launch of YES Indy’s new Re-Engagement Center (REC), located at Watkins Park. EmployIndy’s “Youth Employment System”, YES Indy, established the REC model to provide safe spaces where “Opportunity Youth” – residents ages 16-24 who have disconnected from education and/or employment – can participate in open gym basketball and get connected to career services. 

“The more accessible we can make post-secondary education and employment, the more people will choose that path,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “By addressing significant barriers to school and jobs, the new YES Indy REC at Watkins Park makes resuming your education or professional ambitions easier for residents of the northwest side.” 

In Central Indiana, there are an estimated 30,000 Opportunity Youth who are not engaged in education and or the workforce. Since the launch of the first YES Indy REC in 2018 at the Finish Line Boys & Girls Club, 2,476 young people have registered for open gym sessions, with 240 having been entered into the YES Indy system where they have received barrier-busting support (such as vouchers for child care, legal assistance, housing, or transportation), career services, and connection to education, training, and job opportunities. 

“In alignment with our strategic plan, YES Indy RECs are a tangible way EmployIndy seeks to promote equity and remove barriers to quality employment for underrepresented residents,” said Rev Rodney Francis, EmployIndy Chief Programs Officer. “As the importance of postsecondary training has grown, coaching and connection to career services have become even more vital to navigate options and persist through to completion.”

A major factor in the success of the REC model, and in particular the Watkins Park REC, is EmployIndy’s work to build collaborative partnerships with community organizations. Through a partnership with Indy Parks and Recreation, young people now have a space on the northwest side to get engaged and reconnect to education or the workforce through YES Indy. And through neighboring YES Indy provider Flanner House as well as service provider Training for Success LLC, career services and support are nearby to help them take that next step in their professional journey.  

“After having spent some time attending a university, and feeling it wasn’t a good fit, I found myself working several hourly jobs, with not much direction,” said Chance Blackwell, YES Indy Watkins Park REC participant. “Getting connected to Flanner House through the REC has been helpful as I look to pursue my EMT certification and use those skills to help others.”

Once engaged at the Watkins REC, young people also have the opportunity to enroll in the YES Indy Power Huddle, a two-week job readiness experience where they will learn to foster a growth mindset, as well as earn two Job Ready Indy badges: Mindsets and Social Skills. During the Power Huddle, participants reframe their view of their own future and are introduced to opportunities available through YES Indy, such as achieving their high school equivalency, working with a career coach, enrolling in training, and being connected to employment opportunities. Since 2018, 423 young people have participated in the Power Huddle program.

To make these collaborative efforts possible, EmployIndy has worked to combine funding from the City of Indianapolis and The Indianapolis Foundation (with supporting funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act), through the Elevation Grant Program. 

“By creating opportunities for youth to feel not only safe, but seen, trust is being built in spaces that systemically and historically have pushed them aside,” said Pamela Ross, Vice President of community leadership and equitable initiatives for The Indianapolis Foundation. “The result is youth who are more open, which allows the community to thrive.”

The YES Indy REC at Watkins Park will host open gym sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Residents interested in learning more about this REC location and available services are invited to attend a public open house on Saturday, April 22nd at 10:00 AM, that will feature a basketball tournament and the chance to connect with several local organizations, such as Indy Parks, that will have information on employment and training opportunities. For questions regarding the April 22nd open house, email Tawnya McCrary at trainingforsuccessllc1@nullgmail.com.

Youth and young adults can learn more about YES Indy services or connect to a YES Indy service provider at yesindy317.org.

INDIANAPOLIS — Today, April 13, 2023, EmployIndy, Marion County’s Workforce Development Board and local workforce intermediary, announces the launch of a new three-year strategic plan anchored by its mission to guide the local workforce ecosystem and make strategic investments to promote equity and remove barriers to quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents.

“This new strategic plan builds on the work of EmployIndy since 2016 to scale quality interventions that lead to economic mobility and is centered on ensuring equity for a diverse and skilled workforce,” said Marie Mackintosh, EmployIndy president and CEO.

These interventions include: Career-Connected Learning to prepare 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 and Training to assist students as they persist through completion of postsecondary education and or training to obtain the specialized skills needed in an evolving economy; Talent Connection, creating efficiencies for both workers seeking employment and businesses seeking workers with individualized connection services in the job-placement process; and Good Jobs that allow businesses to be competitive and thrive in the global marketplace when they invest in job quality and wage equity for their workers to prosper.

EmployIndy will also engage in Advocacy that drives Systems Change to ensure sustainability 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.

Accountability for this work and the impact on the community will be measured– disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender– by increases in postsecondary educational attainment and the number of available good and promising jobs, and a decrease in the number of youth, ages 16-24, who are disconnected from education and or employment.

“A key priority through 2025 will be to hold our organization and those with whom we partner accountable for embracing equity,” says Mackintosh, “Not simply as cultural values but as operational norms expressed through equitable hiring practices, job access, job quality, sustainable wages and health insurance benefits.”

To achieve its strategic goals, EmployIndy is implementing changes to its organizational structure that will help the organization grow efficiently and sustainably to achieve our strategic goals. The new structure is carefully designed to support the alignment of programs and initiatives in the teams needed to oversee the strategic priorities.

To learn more about the plan, visit: employindy.org/2023-2025-strategic-plan/

About EmployIndy

EmployIndy guides the local workforce ecosystem and makes strategic investments to promote equity and 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 over $20 million in public, private and philanthropic funds for both youth and adults annually. EmployIndy stands against all forms of racism – systemic, individual, and structural – as an anti-racist organization. Learn more at employindy.org.