Indianapolis – March 1, 2023 – This morning, Mayor Joe Hogsett, EmployIndy, and partners kicked off the summer hiring season by announcing the 2023 edition of the Project Indy summer jobs initiative at the Skateland roller skate rink. Project Indy is currently offering over 2,700 available positions from 108 local employers on its online platform at projectindy.net, which makes applying for jobs easier than ever.

“For decades, Skateland has been a bedrock westside institution, and we are glad to welcome it into the Project Indy family of employers,” said Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Since 2016, Project Indy has been an accessible route to high-quality employment for thousands of young residents.”

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 15,000 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, nearly 300 employers have posted open positions on the portal.

Through Project Indy’s virtual platform that utilizes text messaging to recruit and onboard job seekers, youth ages 16-24 can get started by simply texting “Project Indy” to 317-659-9657. This easy-to-use online platform is a location-based tool that works to connect youth to nearby opportunities and includes an enhanced tool to filter 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 in-school and out-of-school youth throughout Marion County, local employers can provide valuable job opportunities, soft-skill development, and job-readiness training. Additionally, the program offers employers, such as new Project Indy partner Skateland, the opportunity to create a talent pipeline for their business or industry and play an important role in training the future workforce.

“The majority of our staff are teenagers, still in school. Hiring them is an important part of their growth and helps them as they enter the workforce,” said Rodney Williams, General Manager at Skateland. “We’re always looking to hire new young people who we can train and we feel Project Indy is going to benefit us a lot in that effort.”

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 2022, over 2,000 young people in Indianapolis were connected to job opportunities through Project Indy.

“Project Indy is one of many initiatives within EmployIndy that ensures both young adults and employers are prepared for the changing needs of today’s economy,” said EmployIndy President & CEO, Marie Mackintosh. “Through the online portal, young adults from all backgrounds have access to local employers. This helps them not only gain valuable work experience and develop their soft-skills but also works to build a stronger talent pipeline in Marion County.”

In 2018, EmployIndy, in partnership with Mayor Joe Hogsett's office 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.

A toolkit with social media assets and other materials is available here.

To speak with a young adult who has benefited from Project Indy, please reach out to Austin Jenness at ajenness@nullemployindy.org or by calling (317) 605-2742.

Indianapolis – February 8, 2023 –  EmployIndy, Mayor Joe Hogsett, and the Office of Minority and Women Business Development are proud to announce the 22nd Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards will take place on Thursday, April 27th at Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis. Beginning at 8 AM, the event will celebrate local employers who have excelled in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion and feature local leaders as they share insights, success stories, and best practices for fostering 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, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s youth jobs initiative. Project Indy is a location-based job search platform that has connected over 13,000 of Indianapolis’ young people, since its launch in 2016, to employment opportunities near them. 

Nomination forms for this year’s awards are now available. Submit a local employer excelling in one of the areas outlined below at: employindy.org/MCODNomination. All nominations must be submitted by March 31st. 

Awards include: 

• Sam H. Jones ‘Best of the Best': This award is named in honor of the Indianapolis Urban League’s first president, a tireless advocate for peace, justice, and racial understanding. An organization nominated for this award is recognized for exemplary performance in all aspects of diversity. In order to be considered for this award, employers will be expected to additionally fulfill the criteria of the Diversity in Leadership and Diversity in Workforce awards. 
• Diversity in Leadership: This award celebrates an organization who cultivates an atmosphere of growth, particularly when considering upper-level diversity as well as actively supporting a diverse organizational culture. This includes those who create and implement strategies to provide opportunities for all employees to feel integrated and valued within their workplace.
• Diversity in Workforce: This award celebrates an organization who, in the past year, successfully implemented best practices to support workforce diversity. These employers promote opportunities that engage and recognize diversity within their place of business.
• Excellence in Youth Employment: This award celebrates an organization who has shown a commitment to offering youth and young adults in Indianapolis the opportunity for that first job and embraces a culture that promotes the personal growth of those individuals through mentoring and advancement
• Youth Apprenticeship Employer: This award celebrates an organization that is dedicated 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: An organization nominated for this award offers all full-time employees a good wage of $18 an hour and benefits and embodies the traits of “Choice Employer,” by creating a work environment that focuses on supporting Career Pathways, Culture and Diversity, and Employee Resources. 

Additionally, sponsorships for this year’s Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards are now open. Sponsorship forms can be found at: employindy.org/MCODSponsorship. Help support the 22nd annual event by committing to one of the packages below:

• Title Sponsor – $25,000
  • This sponsorship level includes:
    • Event sponsored by YOU!
    • 2 seats at Mayor Hogsett’s table
    • 2 Corporate tables – 16 seats total
    • Acknowledgment in printed program (prime placement)
    • Full-page ad in printed program
    • Event sponsor signage (prime placement)
    • Large logo on sponsorship appreciation slides during presentation
    • Sponsorship acknowledgment from Mayor Hogsett
    • Social media acknowledgment 
    • EmployIndy website acknowledgment with logo

• Platinum Sponsor – $15,000
  • This sponsorship level includes:
    • 2 Corporate Tables – 16 seats total 
    • Acknowledgment in printed program (prime placement)
    • Half-page ad in printed program
    • Event sponsor signage (prime placement)
    • Large logo on sponsorship appreciation slides during presentation
    • Sponsorship acknowledgment from Mayor Hogsett
    • Social media acknowledgment 
    • EmployIndy website acknowledgment with logo

• Gold Sponsor – $10,000
  • This sponsorship level includes:
    • 1 Corporate Table – 8 seats total 
    • Acknowledgment in printed program
    • Event sponsor signage 
    • Large logo displayed on sponsorship appreciation slides during presentation
    • EmployIndy website acknowledgment with logo
    • Social media acknowledgment

• Silver Sponsor – $5,000
  • This sponsorship level includes:
    • 1 Corporate Table – 8 seats total 
    • Acknowledgment in printed program
    • Event sponsor signage 
    • Company logo displayed on sponsorship appreciation slides during presentation
    • EmployIndy website acknowledgment with company name
    • Social media acknowledgment

• Bronze Sponsor – $2,500
  • This sponsorship level includes:
  • 1 Corporate Table – 8 seats total 
  • Acknowledgement in printed program
  • Company logo listed on sponsorship appreciation slides during presentation
  • EmployIndy website acknowledgement (name only)
  • Social media acknowledgement

• Award Sponsor – $800
  • This sponsorship level includes:
    • Five event tickets
    • Acknowledgment in print program (name only)
    • Company name listed on event presentation
    • EmployIndy website acknowledgment (name only)
• Purchase a Table for $625
• Purchase Individual Tickets for $80 (1 ticket = 1 table seat)

Those who are interested in supporting youth employment in Marion County through Project Indy can donate online at https://employindy.org/connect/donate/. Select “Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards (Project Indy)” in the dropdown menu of the form. More information about Project Indy can be found at projectindy.net.

Marion County youths now have a choice when it comes to skills training. EmployIndy is launching a YouthBuild AmeriCorps Construction and Advance Manufacturing industries training and job placement opportunity for young adults ages 18 – 24.

YouthBuild Indy, in partnership with YouthBuild USA, AmeriCorps, Marian University, Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation, Training for Success LLC, and Turner Built  Indianapolis, will be offering this 18-week training for those Marion County residents ages 18-24 who are looking to get construction training or earn their HSE/GED while being paid.

The Construction industry in Marion County is projected to continue growing over the next five years, adding nearly 700 positions to the already great need due to the replacement and retirement of existing workers.

Participants can earn up to $6,780 as well as their high school diploma or equivalency. Students will also earn an NCCER construction certification and may qualify for a $1,300 AmeriCorps education award, work experience and job placement.

The Construction training program will take place from March 20th through July 21st, 2023. Classes meet every Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 2 PM. An information session will be held on March 1st at 37 Place Community Center, located at 2605 E 25th Street Indianapolis, IN 46218.

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Additionally, EmloyIndy’s YES Indy in partnership with Public Advocate in Community re-Entry (PACE), Training For Success, Marian University, Conexus Catapult and Ivy Tech Community College is sponsoring a 13-week Advanced Manufacturing training course, beginning on March 6th. Participants can earn up to $5,930 and a Catapult Advanced Manufacturing Standardized Work Training Certificate; they will also gain 6 Ivy Tech Community College credit hours, work experience and job placement.

The training requires a High School Diploma, GED, or High School Equivalency. Participants must be 18 – 24 years old, have six months or more of stable work history, access to transportation and want to pursue a manufacturing career. Advanced Manufacturing training starts with an orientation on March 1st and training will be held March 6th through June 2nd, classes meet every Monday through Friday at various times and locations. Limited spots are available for this training.

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The registration deadline for both training courses is February 24th. Reentry and justice-involved are welcome to apply.