All-new online platform to add to nearly 13,000 young adults hired since inception

Indianapolis – March 10, 2022 – This morning at Crew Carwash, Mayor Joe Hogsett and EmployIndy kicked off the summer hiring season by announcing the 2022 edition of the Project Indy summer jobs initiative. Project Indy is currently offering 1,261 positions from 63 local employers on its all-new online platform at projectindy.net, which makes applying for jobs easier than ever.

“By offering real-world job experience, Project Indy partners do much more than provide a paycheck,” said Mayor Hogsett. “They allow young people to explore opportunities along a productive path, at a time when negative influences can be harmful to individuals and the community at large. Essentially, it allows young people to define their futures for themselves. That’s good for our youth, it’s good for our employers, and it’s great for our city.”

Since Mayor Hogsett’s launch of Project Indy in 2016 with EmployIndy, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, and the Marion County Commission on Youth, the program has empowered nearly 13,000 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, 218 employers have posted open positions on the portal.

New this year, Project Indy has moved to a new 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. Other additions include a location-based tool to connect to nearby opportunities, as well as 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. The website upgrade was made possible through a partnership with PivotCX, formerly WorkHere.

Hiring youth in Indy provides job opportunities, soft-skill development, and job-readiness training to in-school and out-of-school youth in Marion County. Additionally, it offers employers, such as Crew Carwash, the opportunity to create a talent pipeline for their business or industry and play an important role in training the future workforce.

“We feel it is important to invest in our people and their future,” said Sally Grant, Executive Vice President at Crew Carwash. “We hire many 16, 17 and 18-year-olds who come to Crew as a first time job. We work hard to provide them world class training, great benefits, and a fun working environment that sets them up for success here at Crew and in future endeavors.”

EmployIndy, which administers Project Indy, will be increasing awareness about the enhanced tool over the coming weeks. That includes face-to-face recruiting at Indianapolis-area high schools, targeted social media campaigns, and presence at local youth hiring fairs. Through increased in-person outreach, EmployIndy hopes to exceed the job seeker participation limited in recent years by the pandemic. In 2021, over 2,000 young people in Indianapolis were connected to job opportunities through Project Indy.

“Project Indy provides an incredible opportunity for young people to gain valuable work experience and soft-skill development, and job-readiness training through Job Ready Indy prepares them for these jobs,” said EmployIndy President & CEO, Angela Carr Klitzsch. “Employers can be confident that they're hiring eager and ready candidates.”

EmployIndy, in partnership with Mayor Joe Hogsett's office and the Indy Chamber, launched Job Ready Indy in 2018, 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 that are important in the workplace.

Regardless of company size or resources, every organization can make a difference in their community through Project Indy. Youth ages 16-24 can learn more and apply at projectindy.net or by texting “project Indy” to 317-659-9657. Employers interested in hiring youth can also sign up using the link.

• A toolkit with social media assets, a video from Mayor Hogsett, and other materials is available here.

2022 Regional JAG Career Development Conference celebrates high school student’s career readiness and employability skills development

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – February 23, 2022 – Yesterday afternoon, the Regional Jobs for America’s Graduates Career Development Conference took place virtually, showcasing the skills that Marion County students have learned throughout their time in the Job for America’s Graduates (JAG) program. Jobs for America’s Graduates is a program for high school juniors and seniors that helps arm them with the career development and employability skills to be successful after high school – whether they choose to pursue a postsecondary degree, a credential or enter the workforce. This annual conference provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their career readiness skills, in a competition format, that they learn throughout the school year.

“We are so proud of our students who have worked so hard to build important career readiness skills that will help them succeed in the future,” said Erika Cheney, Vice President of K-12 at EmployIndy. “While we would love to be in person today rather than virtual, we know that this opportunity to showcase their skills is still so important to their development.”

During the 2021-2022 school year, JAG served 807 students in 15 Indianapolis area schools. Traditionally, the Regional JAG Career Development Conference would be a full-day in-person event, with over a hundred student participants demonstrating career readiness skills in front of dozens of volunteer judges. Competitions include critical thinking, financial literacy, employability skills, entrepreneurship, public speaking, outstanding seniors, and more.

“It is incredible to see the confidence and desire on display during this competition,” said Angela Carr Klitzsch, President & CEO of EmployIndy. “These young people are learning essential employability skills that will last them far beyond high school and prepare them to be a successful employee and addition to the workforce.”

Among the various competitions and student displays, this year’s event welcomed keynote speaker Flora Jones, Director of Student Pathways at the Indiana Department of Education, as well as a host of sponsors who made this event possible.

You can learn more about JAG Indiana by visiting employindy.org/youth-services/jag.

Gold Sponsors 

Indiana Army National Guard
PNC Bank
Verizon

Award Recipients

Chapter Brochure:

1. McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology

2. Ben Davis High School

3. Warren Central High School

Chapter Social Media Campaign:

1. Beech Grove High School

2. Ben Davis High School

Chapter Commercial:

1. Arsenal Technical High School

2. Beech Grove High School

Team Entrepreneurship Plan:

1. Decatur Central High School 1

2. Ben Davis High School 2

3. Decatur Central High School 2

Career Presentation:

1. LaQuera Williams, Southport High School

2. Nevaeh Smith, Shortridge High School

3. Michaela Ingram, Decatur Central High School 2

Digital Invitation/Cover Design:

1. Lisette Minera, Ben Davis High School

2. James Vann-Mincy, Jr., Crispus Attucks High School

3. Joselyn Mejia, Shortridge High School

Creative Solutions:

1. Larry Long, Decatur Central High School 2

2. Dekeem Sanders, Decatur Township School for Excellence

3. Kollin Sweeney, Ben Davis High School 1

Critical Thinking:

1. Amaya Henry, Shortridge High School

2. Elijah Reid, Decatur Central High School 2

3. Prince Ndahiriwe, Decatur Central High School 1

Employability Skills:

1. Grace Gill, Decatur Central High School 1

2. Clint Harris, Warren Central High School

3. Kayana Dickerson, Crispus Attucks High School

Financial Literacy:

1. Shaniya Stanford, Decatur Central High School 2

2. Hailey Wood, Decatur Central High School 1

3. Ciarra Searcy, Crispus Attucks High School

Public Speaking:

1. Kameron Durham, Shortridge High School

2. Sarah Bennett, Southport High School

3. Basra Isaack, Decatur Central High School 2

Writing Skills:

1. Amonn Burns, George Washington High School

2. Malachi Flournoy, Shortridge High School

3. Isioma Dumbili, Crispus Attucks High School

Outstanding Seniors:

1. Nevaeh Smith, Shortridge High School

2. Emily Baca-Stewart, George Washington High School

3. Sharon Oyatayo, Decatur Central High School 2

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 $25 million in public, private and philanthropic funds for both youth and adults annually. Learn more at employindy.org.

Through the integration of traditional education, skills enhancement, and innovative on-the-job experiences, EmployIndy is committed to connecting Marion County’s youth with local employers to maximize workplace exposure before entering the workforce. Our organization continues to scale high-quality, career-connected learning by utilizing a variety of collaborative partnerships, programs, and initiatives. One such partnership began in August of 2021 when EmployIndy received a $15,000 grant from Verizon to help connect Marion County students to tech-related opportunities and industry pathways.

This investment offers barrier-busting support for students who face inequitable challenges in accessing career services, such as transportation and food insecurity, and also supports programming for Talent Bound, EmployIndy’s work-based learning initiative. Talent Bound prepares Marion County’s young people for career exploration and engagement while providing opportunities for on-the-job experience and hands-on learning with local employers. The initiative offers targeted services for both Opportunity Youth– young adults, ages 16 to 24, who have disengaged from secondary education or are disconnected from the workforce upon graduation– as well as in-school youth, with programs such Modern Apprenticeship (MAP) and Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG). 

The Verizon investment provides an estimated 300 young people participating in either the continuum of Talent Bound activities or in the MAP and JAG programs with bus transportation, lunches, and program swag. This partnership has since extended to panel discussions, site tours, and speaking opportunities. On December 7th, 2021, four representatives from Verizon participated in a panel discussion at Arsenal Technical High School in which they provided an overview of Verizon, its products and services, future careers, and its commitment to supporting local, educational initiatives. 

“The Verizon panel was a great experience for students. Students learned that the company is highly diverse, comprised of many divisions, and future career opportunities are endless,” said Derrick Barnett, work-based learning coordinator at Arsenal Technical High School.

During the panel discussion, each representative shared their individual stories of both successes and challenges, beginning with high school and to the present day. 52 Arsenal Tech students– 16 seniors from Computer Science and 36 from freshmen Preparing for College & Careers– were present for this event. Students were very interested in part-time employment opportunities with Verizon; they were also able to network with the Verizon representatives over lunch. 

“This panel was a great way for students at Arsenal Tech High School to see the many different opportunities within a tech-related career,” says Matt Simpson, Associate Director of Talent Bound at EmployIndy. “The Verizon employees had varying levels of experience and unique professional journeys, and it was an excellent way to showcase the variety of career pathways available in the tech industry.”

The Verizon panel sparked even more potential opportunities for Verizon to engage with Talent Bound students, including mock interviews, resume writing, job shadowing, and possible field trips to the Verizon corporate office this next semester.

You can learn more about Talent Bound and its opportunities for partnership by visiting www.talentbound.org.