Posted on June 14th, 2022 in
Local News,
Success Story Once upon a time, Nick Gomillion was a philosophy graduate from Millsaps College in Mississippi. He had, as he told EmployIndy, met and married a Hoosier, which brought him to Central Indiana. Gomillion was also looking for a job at the time, a search that landed him in a bank teller position, which he held for four years.
Gomillion had no idea at the time that he would one day be tasked with hiring entry-level tellers and advocating that they be paid good wages, but several years later, as a Staffing Officer for the National Bank of Indianapolis (NBOI), that’s exactly what he is doing.
The National Bank of Indianapolis has been around since 1993. Partnership with EmployIndy may not go quite that far back, but it goes a lot farther back than Gomillion’s five months in his current professional role. Even so, the decision by his employer to pursue the Good Wages Initiative (GWI), which officially launched in April of 2022, was made during Gomillion’s tenure at NBOI. GWI certifies, celebrates, and showcases Marion County employers that are committed to providing full-time employees both a wage of at least $18/hour and access to health insurance benefits.
“Offering employees a wage of $18/hour and access to health insurance benefits is a fundamental part of employers’ roles in actively investing in Indianapolis’ economic ecosystem,” says Jamey Applegate, director of the Good Wages Initiative at EmployIndy. “GWI certification provides heightened opportunities to promote an employer’s commitment to their employees—which can help those businesses attract the most qualified employees first and continue to sustain our collective workforce.”
GWI’s specific hourly rate target comes from a 2018 Brookings Institution report called “Advancing Opportunity in Central Indiana,” but EmployIndy’s program also, in part, is modeled to resemble North Carolina’s Just Economics, which has been certifying businesses that meet its criteria since 2008.
Despite a state and a federal minimum wage of just $7.25 an hour, NBOI bumped their entry-level hourly pay, according to Gomillion, up to $15 an hour in 2018 and then again to $18 an hour in 2022. Gomillion said NBOI had been considering the latest increase since 2021, but GWI as an incentive didn’t hurt either.
“GWI was not a hard sell,” says Gomillion. “The time is always right to invest in your greatest asset, which is your people. Our leaders want to do right by our employees.”
Gomillion’s language mirrors that of one of NBOI’s founders, Mickey Mauer, who was known to say, “People are the most important part of every deal.” According to Gomillion, the decision to pursue GWI fits in with NBOI’s “culture of excellence.”
The hourly increase at NBOI was made for current employees first but will also apply to all future employees yet to be hired. Entry-level tellers, for which NBOI is currently hiring, have to be 18 years old; if they work at the company for a year, they also gain access to tuition reimbursement resources.
GWI provides participating Marion County employers with marketing resources and a network of other businesses across the city who are committed to investing in their employees. For those businesses who cannot initially meet the $18/hour threshold, GWI offers Committed status for those organizations who are dedicated to raising wages to at least $18/hour and offering access to health insurance benefits within the span of the next two years.
To learn more about the Good Wages Initiative, visit www.employindy.org/goodwages.
Posted on May 26th, 2022 in
Local News,
Press Releases INDIANAPOLIS, Ind (May 25, 2022) – EmployIndy is proud to announce our participation in Accelerate ED: Seamless Pathways to Degrees and Careers, an initiative that seeks to blur the lines between high school and higher education and career learning experiences, allowing students to earn a career-aligned credential or degree by the end of just one year after high school.
Together, with 11 other Accelerate ED grantees representing diverse communities and labor markets, EmployIndy and its partners will focus on redesigning K-12 and higher ed structures; strengthening local schools, higher education, community-based organization, and employer partnerships; aligning on common goals for what experiences and opportunities all students should have in grades 9-13; and identifying innovative ways to increase access to reach all students.
“EmployIndy is thrilled to help lead the design of postsecondary pathways in a student’s 13th year with expanded dual enrollment, early college credit, and career experiences in Marion County through the Accelerate ED grant,” says Marie Mackintosh, EmployIndy’s chief strategy officer. “This design sprint will create a blueprint for our community to advance proven delivery models that provide an established route for a student’s successful transition to a degree or the workforce.”
Research shows that these efforts are especially critical for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds who have historically had less access to high-quality career-aligned education pathways. In addition, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact college enrollment and student performance, there is an urgent need to invest in bridges across K-12, higher education, and the workforce to bring high school, college, and career pathways into tighter alignment.
With a $175,000 grant provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EmployIndy and its partners making up the Indianapolis design team will seek to scale existing initiatives in Marion County to help ensure more students obtain an associate degree by the end of one additional year after high school graduation and are set on a path to future economic opportunity. The aim of the Accelerate ED initiative is to create exemplars that show that with clear commitment, strong partnerships, and aligned support, all students can successfully navigate transitions from high school to college to work.
The design team includes robust representation from K-12 and post-secondary education, local non-profit and industry organizations, and employers, many of whom are already engaged in work to identify the gaps in systems, processes, and structures specific to transparency for students around career pathway; advising for students and parents about career pathways; dual credit articulation; and consistent and deep engagement of employers in career readiness.
Included in the Indianapolis design team are:
This design team’s service area includes 11 different public school districts with over 100 high schools and 75,000 students. Accelerate ED grantees are participating in a six-month design sprint to learn from each other and find practical solutions to the barriers that currently limit these opportunities from being available to all students. For the purpose of this six-month design sprint, the partners will focus on 12 high schools (with a total of over 5,000 students) within two school districts, IPS and MSD Warren.
“As a partner recipient of the Accelerate ED grant, MSD Warren is eager to strengthen its partnerships across K-12, higher education, local employers, and youth-serving organizations,” says Dr. Steve E. Rodgers, director at Walker Career Center. “From technical assistance to individualized coaching from community-based organizations, the six-month design sprint will help us to ensure that students are heard as we expand programming and that increasing their individual opportunities remains centered in this work.”
Many Central Indiana students currently struggle to advance in their chosen pathway due to credit deficiencies and a lack of certified instructors to teach dual enrollment courses. EmployIndy and its partners will design and expand career pathways in certain key sectors with 13th-year opportunities through existing delivery models such as Ivy Tech's dual credit program and Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP), and Modern Apprenticeship (MAP)– to increase the number of students successfully persisting through career pathways and earning high-value credentials.
In addition to the development of a 13th-year pathway leading to industry employment, Purdue Global’s involvement in the design team will help illuminate pathways for completion of a bachelor’s degree. The incorporation of Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis and Purdue Global (an online program) includes approximately 64,000 additional post-secondary students as part of the geographic scope. Amazon Web Services is working with Ivy Tech to train and certify 5,000 individuals over the next two years.
Indy Achieves Promise Scholarships help Marion County residents complete their postsecondary education through gap-closing scholarships and individualized support
INDIANAPOLIS – 14 May 2022 – On Saturday afternoon, 124 Indy Achieves scholars, including the very first two Promise Scholars, received their diploma as a part of the Spring 2022 graduating class at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. Indy Achieves, housed at EmployIndy, is an initiative launched by Mayor Joe Hogsett in 2018 that aims to ensure that every Indianapolis resident has the ability to pursue and complete a postsecondary credential or degree program.
Shaune Sterling and Shyne Liwanag, Indy Achieves Promise Scholars, received ongoing help throughout their time as students with gap-closing scholarships. On Saturday, they became the first two Promise Scholars to graduate from IUPUI since the inception of Indy Achieves in 2018. In addition to financial aid, Promise Scholars receive proactive and individualized support from Indy Achieves Student Success Coaches. The Student Success Coaches provide support with financial literacy, academic planning, accessing campus and community resources, and providing career opportunities.
“Indy Achieves was launched in an effort to make it possible for any Marion County resident, regardless of background, to get a degree or certificate after high school,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “These students are the realization of that effort. Through their education, they have a strong foundation from which to build a successful career and livelihood, and I can’t wait to see how they shape our city in the years to come.”
By 2025, 60% of Indiana jobs will require some form of postsecondary credentials, yet currently just 40% of Marion County residents hold credentials beyond high school. Indy Achieves is committed to increasing the proportion of Indianapolis adults with high-quality postsecondary credentials to 65% of residents by 2027, and to eliminating attainment gaps that currently exist for minority residents.
“The support that I received from my Student Success Coach was very helpful, especially during the pandemic,” said Shaune Sterling, Indy Achieves Promise Scholar. “It was great to know that I had the financial support as well, from my Promise Scholarship.”
To accomplish the goals of increasing opportunities for postsecondary credentials, Indy Achieves works to 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 IUPUI as well as Ivy Tech – Indianapolis.
“Since its launch, Indy Achieves has helped over 3,000 Marion County residents complete their postsecondary credential or degree. This goes a long way to meeting the demands of our city’s rapidly evolving employment market,” said Angela Carr Klitzsch, EmployIndy president and CEO. “Indy Achieves remove barriers to completion, making a postsecondary education obtainable for all. Good and promising jobs in our city require education beyond high school and these scholars have become competitive candidates in a growing pipeline of talent.”
This graduating group will also include completion grant recipients which receive one-time awards to cover unpaid bursar bills or other substantial debts that would have prevented them from continuing their postsecondary education. Marion County residents who are interested in applying for promise scholarships or completion grants can learn more at indyachieves.org.
