When Melissa “Mars” Anderson-Wust, a recent graduate of Avon High School, applied to a competitive position at a Central Indiana nature park, she was hopeful that the opportunity would be her first step towards building a career as a wildlife educator or naturalist, something she’d been interested in from a young age. But when they opted to move forward with another candidate, she was left wondering how she might start building her career without prior professional experience in parks and recreation.

“When I learned about the Indy Parks Corps Training with YES Indy, I was so excited and applied immediately,” Mars said. “I was hopeful that this would be a way to gain certifications and experience to help me stand out when applying for jobs at parks in Indy.” Mars was accepted into the program, an EmployIndy led 13-week paid cohort-style training that included phases focused on job readiness, earning industry certifications, work experience (WEX) internships, and job placement assistance. As a part of EmployIndy’s Coaching + Training efforts, YES Indy provides the personalized guidance and support that is essential to helping individuals choose the right education or training paths and persist through to completion.

After completing the initial training phases of the program, Mars was paired with Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS) for her month-long WEX internship, where her love for animals and work ethic helped her excel as she learned how IACS protects and promotes the health, safety, and welfare of pets and livestock in Marion County.

After completing the full program, Mars described herself as “ready.” And IACS agreed. Having had Mars as an intern, they moved quickly to hire her full time into an Adoptions Counselor role, where she monitors and evaluates animal behavior as well as assists clients who are looking to adopt.

“Working with animals can be a difficult job, making it difficult to hire people here,” said Colleen Walker, Public Information Officer at IACS. “But having candidates with experience, like Mars, is incredibly valuable. Experienced candidates often integrate quickly and previously having her here as an intern made the decision to hire her an easy one.”

In 2024, 10,923 individuals in Marion County enrolled in coaching and training through EmployIndy programs—gaining the skills and support needed to find employment and succeed in the workplace. Additionally, EmployIndy and our YES Indy network of community-based organizations (CBO) helped 275 young people, who were disconnected from education and employment, earn certifications in advanced trainings.

To learn more about job readiness and training opportunities with YES Indy, visit yesindy317.org. Interested in connecting with job ready candidates? Reach out to businesspartnerships@nullemployindy.org to get connected.

On Thursday afternoon, over 70 local employers, workforce leaders, and education partners gathered at Lucas Oil Stadium for Untapped, a panel and networking event designed to help local employers tackle their workforce challenges through proven work-based learning (WBL) strategies and apprenticeship-tailored solutions. Powered by EmployIndy and Ascend Indiana, the event featured panel discussions and breakout sessions designed to highlight real-world strategies tailored to the Indy region, empowering employers to confidently integrate work-based learning into their talent pipelines—and unlock the full potential of the next generation workforce. 

“We’re thrilled to help bring together our city’s workforce leaders in effort to network, learn and collaborate as we work to grow the work-based learning movement in our region,” says Marie Mackintosh, EmployIndy’s President + CEO. “We believe in the power of WBL and apprenticeships to not only help employers develop the next generation of talent but also shift their current workplace culture in new and valuable ways.” 

Talent experts from EmployIndy, Ascend Indiana, Indy Chamber, Aracamed, and the Indianapolis Airport Authority provided insights and guidance on topics like unlocking the power of WBL, launching and scaling WBL programs, preparing participants for success, integrating inclusivity, and more. 

As students face increasing challenges in preparing for meaningful and sustainable careers, and employers express concern about the lack of skilled and diverse workers who can meet their evolving demands, EmployIndy is working to connect youth with real-world work experiences that align with emerging economic trends to fill these gaps. Last year, 48,220 WBL and career-connected learning activities were facilitated or supported by EmployIndy, including 142 Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP) youth apprentices at 12 Marion County high schools. Additionally, 599 employers delivered career exploration, engagement, and experience activities to Marion County K–12 and postsecondary students. 

What We Heard from Employers 

Throughout the event, several key themes emerged from our conversations with employers: 

• Start small, learn, try, learn again. 

• Hope is not a strategy. To stand out and fill talent gaps, you have to take initiative. 

• Intermediary partners can help growth, but internal champions and flexibility will make it stick. 

• WBL transforms teams from task managers into talent mentors. 

• Success isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing the right things with the right partners.  

What’s Next 

This conversation was just the beginning. Coming soon, we’ll host a series of small roundtable events focused on key topics such as legal considerations, student preparation, and managing WBL programs as they grow. 

And the momentum is strong—100% of employers who responded to our follow-up survey said they would recommend Untapped to others. We’re excited to continue the conversation and build on this energy at our next event. Please be on the lookout for future communications from EmployIndy about our next event. 

To get connected to WBL resources and learn how this talent strategy can take your organization to the next level, reach out to businesspartnerships@nullemployindy.org. 

Having experienced recent struggles in both attracting and retaining their workforce, Project Indy employer AMC Indianapolis 17 partnered with Mayor Hogsett’s youth jobs initiative to host an in-person hiring event at the theater. With Project Indy’s support in organizing and promoting the event to young people, the theater was able to conduct interviews and make offers to promising candidates like Samm Cherry, 17, a recent early graduate from George Washington High School. 

“We had just had a period where we were struggling to get applicants to come in and even the people that were coming in weren't sticking around,” said Jacob Harrison, HR Manager at AMC Indianapolis 17. “Project Indy helped us get in front of candidates like Samm, and it was clear in her interview by her confidence and interaction that she had prior experience and training in the workplace.” 

In partnering with Project Indy to hire in-school and out-of-school youth throughout Marion County, local employers provide employability skill development and job-readiness training to our future workforce. They also benefit by creating a talent pipeline for their business or industry. 

Out of nearly 20 candidates that participated in interviews at the event, 6 were offered positions and hired at the theater, including Samm. She credits a paid internship at the Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) as vital in helping her begin to develop customer service skills and learn how to navigate the professional world. But after having that internship cut short due to funding issues, she jumped at the chance to participate in the AMC hiring event.  

“It was nice to apply and have the chance to interview right away, as it cut out a lot of the anticipation of applying for jobs and then having to wait,” said Cherry. “My parents have always encouraged me to be the best version of myself, so I made sure to come prepared with some questions for the interviewer.” 

With applications submitted to both Indiana University and the University of Illinois Springfield, her job at AMC has not only been important in giving her the opportunity to learn new practical skills like cashiering and cleaning but also has become a vital source of income as she saves for tuition and books. While aiming to pursue a degree in either business administration or business analytics, she’s glad to know that AMC’s transfer program will allow her to support herself in a new location if or when that time comes.   

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 young adults in Marion County by providing work experiences that build their employability skills and allow them to explore new career fields. In 2024, over 1,575 young people in Indianapolis were connected to job opportunities through Project Indy. 

Youth interested in joining the Project Indy platform can get started by simply texting “ProjectIndy” to 317-659-9657 or visiting projectindy.net.