When considering the more-influential businesses in Central Indiana, one is unlikely to leave Cummins—designer and manufacturer of engines and other powerful technologies with more than 9,000 locations worldwide—off the list. Cummins’ Technical Education for Communities (TEC) Manager, Rick Hudson, has an interesting take on just what Cummins means to Central Indiana: “We can’t be strong as a company if the communities we’re in aren’t strong.”

The Cummins’ TEC program, which has expanded to 26 locations since its inception in 2012, aims to enrich the skills and strength of young people in communities around the world.  The program gathers a coalition from government, industry, and nonprofit organizations to work together to provide technical work-based learning at local schools. The program boasts a graduation rate of more than 80%, and more than 70% of those graduates are quickly placed into technician job placements.

Most program sites are abroad, but the latest TEC addition—Cummins’ fifth in the United States—is in Indianapolis. On January 23^rd, several EmployIndy employees joined Cummins at Arsenal Tech High School for the local launch, at which EmployIndy’s Senior Director of Business Partnerships, Jay Styles, spoke.

“EmployIndy is the first workforce development board that has ever had a logo on our list of partners from day one,” Hudson said. While Cummins had been familiar with EmployIndy from other involvements, he added that one immediate value that came out of his year-plus correspondence with Styles was the labor market information she provided, which demonstrated the need for more automotive and diesel technicians in Marion County.

It was also essential, according to Hudson, that Arsenal Tech already had a program that emphasizes automotive technical education. “The curriculum was already good,” Hudson said. What TEC will do is supplement what is already in place with buy-in from a number of local employers who donate equipment and additional expertise, while also conveniently serving as possible employment landing spots for students who complete the program.

Cummins does want to hire some of the students that come out of TECs, but they intentionally limit themselves to taking no more than 20% of graduates. This encourages and even necessitates participation from a host of companies that Hudson admits will include—in Indianapolis—one of Cummins’ top competitors.

The impressive list of sponsors and partners with the Arsenal Tech program will include Allison Transmission, IndyGo, Pat O’Brien Toyota, Team Cruiser, the Automotive Apprenticeship Group, Jasper Engines, Ivy Tech, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), and others. Hudson credited EmployIndy Business Development Manager, Wendy Parker, with providing the referrals for more than half of the businesses who signed on with their support.

For any employers who may come from a different industry but still possess an interest in developing a presence in high school and young adult spaces for the purpose of providing career education, work-based learning opportunities, and potentially building long-term employment pipelines, EmployIndy’s Talent Bound does just that. We are always looking for more invested partners, and you can reach out to a member of the Business Partnerships team to start the conversation, get your questions answered, and learn about next steps.

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.

INDIANAPOLIS — Today, February 6, 2023, EmployIndy, Marion County’s Workforce Development Board, has named Esther Woodson as its new executive director of Indy Achieves. Effective immediately, Woodson succeeds Matt Impink who has led the initiative since its launch by Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration in 2018. Woodson joined EmployIndy in February 2019, most recently serving as senior director for Indy Achieves.  

Indy Achieves is focused on closing the skills gap in Indianapolis by increasing the proportion of residents with high-quality credentials to 65% by 2027 and by eliminating the attainment gaps that currently exist for minority students. To accomplish this, Indy Achieves works to actively increase the number of individuals who apply for existing financial aid programs such as 21st Century Scholars and FAFSA, as well as provide Promise Scholarships, Completion Grants and wraparound support services for Marion County students who attend Ivy Tech Indianapolis and IUPUI. 

Woodson, a native of Indianapolis, is a proud graduate of Indianapolis Public Schools and a 21st Century Scholar, attending Crispus Attucks Middle School and Northwest High School. She then went on to pursue her undergraduate degree at the Indiana University School of Journalism, followed by 15 years in secondary and post-secondary education in Indianapolis and will complete her pursuit of a graduate degree in Management and Leadership later this year. Today she attributes her personal and professional achievements to the 21st Century Scholars Program, along with a host of family, mentors, teachers and friends.  

“Indy Achieves Scholars are the future workforce and leaders of Marion County,” said Woodson. “I am excited to lead Indy Achieves forward, working collaboratively with K12 and postsecondary to ensure all Indianapolis students, particularly minorities, have the education, experiences and resources needed to complete a high-quality credential that leads to good and promising jobs in our community.” 

To improve access to postsecondary education, Indy Achieves processed 710 21st Century Scholars applications, accounting for roughly 19 percent of the overall scholars from Marion County in the 2021-2022 school year. To ensure postsecondary persistence and completion, Indy Achieves offers coaching services and scholarships that supported 199 graduates at IUPUI and Ivy Tech Indianapolis last year. This student success coaching model has increased postsecondary retention by as much as a13 percent over comparison groups.  

“This year, as Esther takes the reigns, Indy Achieves will grow by half a million dollars in City funding,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “That will enable our growing program to impact hundreds of additional Indianapolis students, many of them traveling a path that Esther knows personally.” 

Woodson has been recognized locally by several organizations for her commitment to education and community, receiving the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana Big Sister of the Year Award in 2015 and the Live United Volunteer of the Year Award in 2014. She was recently a finalist for both the Center for Leadership Development Minority Achievers Award in 2022 and the Inspire Awards “The Power of Mentoring” Youth Mentor in 2018. A member of The Father's Heart Ministries Church, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Chi Chi Omega Chapter, and an active Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Woodson resides on the west side of Indianapolis with her husband and two teenage sons.  

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A photo of Woodson can be sourced here. 

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 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.