While recent unemployment percentages in Marion County are comparable to those seen pre-pandemic, unemployment and underemployment can still be a stressful experience for individuals in that situation.
As the workforce development board for Marion County, EmployIndy is committed to ensuring all Marion County residents have access to the services and training necessary to secure a livable wage and grow in a career that meets employer demand for talent. In spite of or incidental to macro trends in unemployment numbers, an EmployIndy initiative has had success placing job seekers who are feeling the stress of unemployment or underemployment at companies who need their talent.
“Wednesdays@WorkOne”, a free weekly hiring event at EmployIndy’s full-service center on Indianapolis’ east side, WorkOne Indy, has been boasting an average of nearly 100 job seeker attendees per week. These job seekers are taking advantage of the opportunity to network with the roughly 20 unique hiring employers who attend on a regular basis.
“Word is definitely getting out that we’re here,” Associate Director of Career Services, Bryan Spellman, said. “And we get a lot of returning employers.”
Spellman said that in 2022, the hiring event attracted a total of more than 3,000 job seekers and about 225 employers, which resulted in more than 1,000 hires, a number that gets reported back from attending companies.
In 2023, the hiring event continues to build upon the successes of last year. Just 6 months into the year, Wednesdays@WorkOne has already exceeded half of last year’s number of circulating individuals. It helps that about four new businesses are also showing up per week—at least one indicator that there are still jobs out there to be found—and at least 560 people have landed a job from their interactions with those employers so far this year.
The industries that are represented at the hiring event are impressive and diverse: from healthcare and transportation to manufacturing, maintenance, childcare, culinary, banking, and others. EmployIndy recently spoke with a couple of those employers about what keeps them coming back to Wednesdays@WorkOne.
Barrett & Stokely, a property management company with more than forty housing complexes across Indiana, has become a regular attendee. Talent Acquisition Specialist Carol Cashen said she tries to attend at least one Wednesdays@WorkOne per month in an effort to fill roles like Property Managers, Maintenance Technicians, and Groundskeepers. Interested job seekers can find a list of Barrett & Stokely current openings here.
Meanwhile, First Student Recruiter Kelly Woods also felt strongly about the value Wednesdays@WorkOne provides to her company. She said she has been coming every two weeks for about two years because of the number of applications—for Indianapolis Public Schools’ Bus Monitor and Bus Driver roles—she receives because of the event. The company provides paid CDL B training, and open positions can be found here.
EmployIndy oversees the operations of WorkOne Indy, an American Job Center, at 4410 North Shadeland Avenue on Indianapolis’ east side. The career services, training, and talent connection resources available to job seekers at WorkOne Indy uplifts EmployIndy’s strategic plan theories of change: Coaching + Training and Talent Connection. To learn more about EmployIndy’s commitment to scale quality interventions that lead to economic mobility, check out our recently released 2023-2025 Strategic Plan.
The Wednesdays@WorkOne hiring event is held every Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. and is open to the public. No registration is required. Businesses looking to fill their open positions via this hiring event can receive registration information by sending an email to [email protected].
Nothing brings people together in Indiana more than a good game of basketball. When two teams tipped off the 2023 YES Indy Pivot League championship game at Mount Carmel Church in Indianapolis, the gym was filled with excitement as spectators were treated to a high-energy game. During halftime, EmployIndy’s Executive Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Rev. Rodney Francis, and District 14 Councillor, La Keisha Jackson, recognized this year’s sponsors for their support in elevating the Pivot League and local community efforts. The evening concluded with an awards ceremony where the winning team, representing the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE), was awarded a check for $3,000.
The YES Indy PIVOT League is an 8-week basketball league, first launched in 2021, designed to bring young adults into a safe place where they can build relationships and connect to services that help them move forward in their education and career. In Central Indiana, there are roughly 30,000 Opportunity Youth, or young people, ages 16-24, who are not currently engaged in education or the workforce. The mission of EmployIndy’s “Youth Employment System” (YES), and the Pivot League, is to create a positive trajectory for these young adults by getting them re-engaged and providing opportunities and pathways to prepare them for future success.
“The PIVOT League grew out of our Re-Engagement Centers (RECs), which offer open gym basketball as a workforce recruitment strategy to re-engage disconnected young adults,” said Rev. Francis. “It’s the only league primarily focused on improving players’ stats off the court.” To participate in the League, young adults must “pivot” towards engagement in education by enrolling in a GED/HSE program, college, industry training, or YES Indy, or by being connected to gainful employment.
“I signed up for the basketball league because I think my team can win it,” said Duran Lewis, Pivot League participant. “ I also recently completed a Power Huddle with YES Indy and I got some good life lessons out of it. It taught me to be myself, keep pushing, and most of all to be grateful. Right now I am in the YouthBuild program and I enrolled to get my GED through Edna Martin Christian Center at Martin University.”
One way that YES Indy helps to break down mindset barriers for young people, regardless of their history, is through the YES Indy Power Huddle program, a two-week job readiness experience where individuals learn how they can change their future trajectory as well as develop a variety of employability skills that will help them map out and work towards reaching their academic, career, and life goals. For young people like Duran, getting involved on the court through open gyms at a YES Indy REC or through participating in the Pivot League often leads to getting connected to helpful programs and services off the court, like the Power Huddle.
“The City League understands the power that basketball holds in our culture. We are excited to work with EmployIndy to bring high-level basketball to the young men of Indianapolis, while also helping participants get connected to people and training, giving them the necessary opportunities to move forward in life.” said Austin Taylor, Executive Director of The City League. As a key partner and organizer for the Pivot League, The City League’s reputation as a leader in organizing high-level basketball in our city has been an important asset as the Pivot League seeks to attract players and fans.
EmployIndy’s partnership with Mt. Carmel Church has also been a key component of the league as it seeks to create a safe space for players to grow off the court as well as on it. “Mt. Carmel Church is a church of the community, finding ways to demonstrate our love for God and our neighbor through education and socially, and financially empowering our community,” said Rev. Lola Bartlett, a Mt. Carmel Church staff member. “Working with YES Indy and The City League helps us in fulfilling our mission by educating our young men and providing them with a constructive place to practice being a team in the game and in life.“
The Pivot League would like to extend a big thank you to this year’s volunteers and organizations that make this collaborative league possible. This year’s sponsors include Finish Line Foundation, Training for Success LLC, Turner Housing, Mt. Carmel Church, EmployIndy, CAFE, FASTENAL, and Heritage Group.
The Pivot League will return in the Spring of 2024, but YES Indy RECs and The City League will continue to offer ongoing opportunities for young people in our city, through open gym sessions at the YES Indy RECs and other basketball tournaments throughout the year via The City League. If you’re a young person looking to get connected to employment services, visit the YES Indy website.
For Indianapolis employers or community partners who are interested in participating and sponsoring the 2024 Pivot League, please fill out the league sponsor form.
Close to fifty employers from eleven different industries joined EmployIndy for a sunny and warm outdoor career fair at George Washington High School on Friday, May 5.
Roughly 450 students ranging from freshmen to seniors circulated around the track, talking with employers, to learn about immediate and long-term educational and professional opportunities that are available in Central Indiana.
“It’s so rewarding to see all of these professionals get involved and engaged with students as they explore options for the next phase of their lives,” said EmployIndy’s Talent Bound Manager, Tressie Kaufman, who helped coordinate the event.
EmployIndy’s Talent Bound program partners with the local business community to provide career exploration and career-connected learning opportunities for young people that not only increase informed decision making and help them develop critical skills needed to succeed in the future of work, but also provides employers an avenue to be proactive in developing a talent pipeline for their organization.
EmployIndy encourages its business partners to engage with Talent Bound in multiple ways as it provides a wide range of ways to get involved, including: talent talks, talent prep, talent prep, talent mentors, talent tours, talent shadows, talent challenges, talent internships, talent apprenticeships, and talent hires.
Career fairs fall under the “talent day” umbrella, where employers or industry professionals can share information about a specific company, workplace responsibilities, and job skills in effort to allow young people to explore future career pathways.
EmployIndy caught up with two of the businesses participating at the event, Viant and Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBank Indianapolis) to learn more about what brought them to the career fair on a Friday morning.
Viant’s HR Generalist, Alexia Prokopos, said she came “to get the word out” about her company, as there is a concern about filling their talent behind upcoming retirees. Viant manufactures medical devices, and Prokopos emphasized that the company provides partial tuition reimbursement to employees who wish to pursue higher education and that it prioritizes internal development and promotions for their workers.
Meanwhile, FHLBank Indianapolis HR Generalist Emily Thomas described her institution as a “bank for other financial institutions” with about 260 employees in Indianapolis. She emphasized that tellers and financial advisors are not among those job titles. Instead, needs at FHLBank Indianapolis range from technical roles like computer engineering and IT to business and financial roles like business intelligence and risk analysts. Roles like these require bachelor’s degrees, but Thomas was also promoting the company’s internship program and said that she also just enjoyed talking with students and learning more about what they are interested in.
Visit www.talentbound.org/activities to learn more about the range of career-connected learning activities through which your business can begin to develop a new talent pipeline. To get started, reach out to our Business Partnerships at [email protected] or visit our team webpage to learn more.
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.
“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.
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.
“Being in the YES Indy program with EmployIndy helped me out a lot. I was in a position in life where I didn’t know where I was headed. I learned how to be confident and speak up for myself,” said RaeSean Franklin, sitting in the breakroom at Fastenal where he works full-time on the production floor helping to create industrial and construction products.
Prior to enrolling in the training, RaeSean was working at Burger King and was living between his parents’ houses after being evicted. Having recently become a new father, he was drawn to the idea of finding stable housing and was looking for ways to increase his income. Through his participation with PACE and his interest in getting on a career pathway, he enrolled in the 13-week Advanced Manufacturing earn-while-you-learn training that consisted of job readiness, 160 hours of manufacturing theory and lab, on-the-job training, and job placement.
“I didn’t imagine myself in a manufacturing job at first but when the opportunity presented itself, I was willing to do anything as I knew I could leave with skills that I could use later in life,” said RaeSean. After completing the training, he was offered full-time employment with Fastenal, starting at $17 per hour. Now earning a livable wage, he’s been able to obtain independent housing and is on a path to career growth. Having been working for the company for six months, RaeSean even negotiated a wage increase and is now earning $18.75 per hour.
Along with building a foundation for his daughter through his new career, RaeSean also gives back by speaking to new cohorts enrolled in the YES Indy Advanced Manufacturing training.
If you or someone you know is looking to take the next step and get on a career pathway, check out available training programs at www.yesindy317.org/industry-trainings.
Dear Partners and Friends,
2022 has been a year of significant growth and transformation for EmployIndy. As the year comes to a close, we are especially grateful to our Board and to each of our local, statewide, and national partners for working with our team to make real our vision that all residents in Indianapolis will have the opportunity to achieve economic prosperity.
Creating equitable opportunities has never been more important than it is today as we work to address some of the significant challenges the pandemic left in its wake, as illuminated in our recent report, Indiana’s Evolving Labor Market, released in partnership with Ascend Indiana. In short, too few people in our community are gaining the credentials currently required by businesses with open positions across sectors, and we must be bold in our collective efforts to reverse this troubling trend.
As I look back on our work from July of 2021 to June of 2022, I am hopeful despite our current realities. I could not be prouder of the promising practices and strong outcomes of our growing education and employment programs. We had over 31,000 in-person visits at WorkOne Indy; provided nearly 23,000 career exploration experiences to K-12 Marion County students through Talent Bound; and engaged 4,677 individuals in work-based learning experiences. We also placed 1,489 individuals into good and promising jobs through Wednesdays@WorkOne and Rapid Re-Employment Response, which launched in the early days of the pandemic. All of this good work was only made possible through the engagement of 2,198 Indianapolis employers in talent development strategies and placement services; the partnership of more than 160 education, training, community-based, and service providers throughout our workforce ecosystem; the investment of over $20,216,434 in local programs and initiatives from federal, state, local, corporate, and philanthropic funds; and the dedicated EmployIndy team of 82 education and workforce professionals. In total, we served over 50,000 residents of Indianapolis, and of those who self-identified, 75% were people of color.
As we prepare to launch our new strategic plan in early 2023, EmployIndy remains focused on investing in our communities, households, and underrepresented residents. We will take what we have learned as practitioners and from our partners to build better systems that create more scalable and equitable outcomes for the people of our community. In fact, we are already engaging in systems change efforts and plan to accelerate this work in the coming years.
Modern Apprenticeship, in partnership with the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Ascend Indiana, is changing employer practices on minimum age requirements for employment both locally and nationally.
Through the Accelerate ED initiative, EmployIndy and its partners have created a blueprint for a high-quality cybersecurity pathway beginning in high school and accelerating the attainment of an associate degree in year 13.
The Indianapolis New Skills Ready Network, funded through JPMorgan Chase & Co, has partnered with state leaders to create a career advising framework that establishes standards, milestones, and strategies by K-12 grade band.
With our partners, EmployIndy is tackling dominant narratives with the Walton Family Foundation and Wonder to change the story around traditional postsecondary choices as the only quality options for economic opportunity.
Launched in 2022 as part of an Enhancing Opportunity in Indianapolis grant, the Good Wages Initiative will close the year with 60+ certified employers, representing 18 industries and nearly 25,000 workers, who have committed to increasing worker wages by $5M. As a Good Wages employer, EmployIndy’s commitment to more equitable hiring and employment practices has resulted in a staff that is 42% racially and ethnically diverse, with more work to do to mirror the community we serve.
In the new year, we will continue to work to close the opportunity gap by focusing on career-connected learning, investing in quality coaching and training, facilitating connections to good jobs, and ensuring the business community offers more good jobs across sectors.
Thank you for all of your contributions to the positive impact that EmployIndy has had, and will continue to have, across our community.
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in 2023!
Kind Regards, Marie Mackintosh, President & CEO EmployIndy
Dear Partners and Friends,
2022 has been a year of significant growth and transformation for EmployIndy. As the year comes to a close, we are especially grateful to our Board and to each of our local, statewide, and national partners for working with our team to make real our vision that all residents in Indianapolis will have the opportunity to achieve economic prosperity.
Creating equitable opportunities has never been more important than it is today as we work to address some of the significant challenges the pandemic left in its wake, as illuminated in our recent report, Indiana’s Evolving Labor Market, released in partnership with Ascend Indiana. In short, too few people in our community are gaining the credentials currently required by businesses with open positions across sectors, and we must be bold in our collective efforts to reverse this troubling trend.
As I look back on our work from July of 2021 to June of 2022, I am hopeful despite our current realities. I could not be prouder of the promising practices and strong outcomes of our growing education and employment programs. We had over 31,000 in-person visits at WorkOne Indy; provided nearly 23,000 career exploration experiences to K-12 Marion County students through Talent Bound; and engaged 4,677 individuals in work-based learning experiences. We also placed 1,489 individuals into good and promising jobs through Wednesdays@WorkOne and Rapid Re-Employment Response, which launched in the early days of the pandemic. All of this good work was only made possible through the engagement of 2,198 Indianapolis employers in talent development strategies and placement services; the partnership of more than 160 education, training, community-based, and service providers throughout our workforce ecosystem; the investment of over $20,216,434 in local programs and initiatives from federal, state, local, corporate, and philanthropic funds; and the dedicated EmployIndy team of 82 education and workforce professionals. In total, we served over 50,000 residents of Indianapolis, and of those who self-identified, 75% were people of color.
As we prepare to launch our new strategic plan in early 2023, EmployIndy remains focused on investing in our communities, households, and underrepresented residents. We will take what we have learned as practitioners and from our partners to build better systems that create more scalable and equitable outcomes for the people of our community. In fact, we are already engaging in systems change efforts and plan to accelerate this work in the coming years.
Modern Apprenticeship, in partnership with the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Ascend Indiana, is changing employer practices on minimum age requirements for employment both locally and nationally.
Through the Accelerate ED initiative, EmployIndy and its partners have created a blueprint for a high-quality cybersecurity pathway beginning in high school and accelerating the attainment of an associate degree in year 13.
The Indianapolis New Skills Ready Network, funded through JPMorgan Chase & Co, has partnered with state leaders to create a career advising framework that establishes standards, milestones, and strategies by K-12 grade band.
With our partners, EmployIndy is tackling dominant narratives with the Walton Family Foundation and Wonder to change the story around traditional postsecondary choices as the only quality options for economic opportunity.
Launched in 2022 as part of an Enhancing Opportunity in Indianapolis grant, the Good Wages Initiative will close the year with 60+ certified employers, representing 18 industries and nearly 25,000 workers, who have committed to increasing worker wages by $5M. As a Good Wages employer, EmployIndy’s commitment to more equitable hiring and employment practices has resulted in a staff that is 42% racially and ethnically diverse, with more work to do to mirror the community we serve.
In the new year, we will continue to work to close the opportunity gap by focusing on career-connected learning, investing in quality coaching and training, facilitating connections to good jobs, and ensuring the business community offers more good jobs across sectors.
Thank you for all of your contributions to the positive impact that EmployIndy has had, and will continue to have, across our community.
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in 2023!
Kind Regards, Marie Mackintosh, President & CEO EmployIndy
EmployIndy’s Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP) offers an avenue for employers to build their own employment talent—especially in areas where they might be having a hard time finding qualified enough candidates for needed positions—and for young talent and future workforce to gain access to high-demand career areas.
Apprentices are supported throughout the program by EmployIndy Youth Apprenticeship Managers (YAMs) and participating businesses by Account Managers on EmployIndy’s Business Partnership team.
EmployIndy recently sat down with Joy Coates, Markle Foundation’s Senior Manager of National Delivery Partnerships, to learn more about how the experience of a cohort one apprentice, Fatoumata, has been progressing. Fatoumata is now a senior at Pike High School, and part of Coates’ role includes supervision over Fatoumata’s apprenticeship experience.
Markle, which been focused on workforce development since 2013, is working to expand access to quality jobs for all Americans.
“We’re always looking for ways to make a lasting impact,” Coates said, with MAP apparently fitting that bill for cohort one and again for cohort two.
Coates mentioned that Fatoumata’s role as a project coordinator “may be more complicated than the average apprenticeship,” and emphasized the need for intentionality in trying to connect tasks like business writing, “tactical” projects, and which meetings to include Fatoumata in on. Through this apprenticeship, she has honed her occupational and foundational skills and gained valuable work experience that will hopefully support Fatoumata in her goal of becoming an immigration lawyer in the future.
“Fatoumata has always been willing to learn,” Coates said, and it doesn’t hurt that Coates has a coaching background herself. Coates admitted that her apprentice is, by nature, a reserved person and that one of the initial challenges was in working with her to feel comfortable enough to speak up, especially when she needed help.
It should be noted that these dynamics can be true about new employees anywhere, but that’s even more reason to pay attention to the experience of a high school student who may be facing her first meaningful professional experience. Coates cautioned that this is not the same as assuming a high school student doesn’t know anything, which of course they do, even in their initial nervousness.
As evidence that the program is working for both her organization and for its apprentice, Coates emphasized Fatoumata’s increasing “self-agency.” A great example of this, Coates notes, is how Fatoumata has become more confident in building relationships and taking on new projects with different team members.
Part of the initial design of a MAP experience involves the creation of competencies that will drive the skill development of an apprentice, and Coates has witnessed Fatoumata “scaffolding” in the right direction and even holding herself accountable to the framework.
Coates is optimistic that this growth in Fatoumata will pay dividends in the future, and that by completion of the program, Sylla may just be ready to take the lead on small projects herself.
EmployIndy is currently recruiting for its third cohort of businesses who want to be involved in MAP; interested parties can reach out to Wendy Parker, Senior Business Development Manager for Modern Apprenticeship, at [email protected].
The Heritage Group is a fourth-generation, family-owned, Indianapolis company that manages a diverse portfolio that specializes in heavy construction, environmental services, and specialty chemicals. They also intentionally invest in the communities where they operate.
“At The Heritage Group, we think in generations, not quarters,” said Lucy Wehlage, The Heritage Group’s Early-In-Career Talent and Program Coordinator. “And young talent…is essential for so many reasons.”
Many EmployIndy programs are aligned with The Heritage Group’s focus on outreach to such talent, and EmployIndy’s Business Partnerships team was recently able to coordinate a collaborative meeting with their talent acquisition team and representatives from Indy Achieves and Talent Bound, both EmployIndy programs.
In 2018, Mayor Joe Hogsett and the City of Indianapolis launched Indy Achieves to respond to Indianapolis’ rapidly-changing labor market with the goal of ensuring that every Marion County resident can pursue and complete a postsecondary degree or credential. The program provides scholarship money to IUPUI and Ivy Tech students and connects them with employers like the Heritage Group for job shadowing opportunities, mentorships, internships, and potential job placement.
The Heritage Group’s Early-In-Career Talent Specialist, Lexie Seward, participated in an Indy Achieves event last spring and has maintained contact with some of the students she met there. “We are committed to mentoring and developing our early-in-career talent. We know the work we put into young professionals will make a difference in the future success of our company.”
Talent Bound is one way that EmployIndy connects Marion County students to a network of engaged businesses for career education and work-based learning opportunities. This is also, of course, a great opportunity for places like The Heritage Group to get in front of, and to spread awareness of their own brand, to high school students who are starting to think about post-graduation plans.
According to Matt Simpson, Associate Director of Talent Bound, “A lot of today’s students are interested in sustainability, so it has been good for some of those students to learn that places like The Heritage Group are trying to make those ideas and interests a reality.”
If your company is looking for innovative ways to engage with young and future talent, but is not yet involved with Talent Bound, reach out to EmployIndy’s Business Partnerships team, who would be happy to help get your questions answered and your next steps moving.
Two-and-a-half years after the world shut down for Covid-19, and well into what has become known as The Great Resignation, as well as the trend of “quiet quitting,” many employers and even whole industries are scrambling to figure out how to close historical and new talent gaps.
Meanwhile, Chief Personnel Officer at Indianapolis’s Plastic Recycling, Chad Smith, is a military veteran, and it is that background that shaped his conviction that focusing on leadership development and recruiting a diverse workforce can produce the kind of creative thinking that leads to innovation at a company like the one he works for, which he says has “grown from a mom-and-pop business to a much larger operation.
Smith’s words are backed up by Plastic Recycling’s participation from the employer side in an Advanced Manufacturing program that EmployIndy and PACE have partnered together on to help “opportunity youth”—18-to-24-year-olds—get on a career pathway. Participants in the program earn an ADVA credential and are placed in a short-term work experience at a local employer before hopefully beginning full-time work in what can become a career. Six program participants recently visited Plastic Recycling early on in the course for what EmployIndy’s Talent Bound program calls a “talent tour.”
It’s not Talent Bound’s only connection to Plastic Recycling. The company is also a participant in the second cohort of the Modern Apprenticeship Program, which provides high school students from Marion County high schools with the opportunity for a paid, three-year apprenticeship in an industry they’re interested in, and which provides area employers an opportunity to build some of their own diverse talent.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with our three apprentices so far,” Smith said. He also mentioned that Plastic Recycling was so impressed with the candidates for those positions that the process of narrowing them down was quite difficult.
Plastic Recycling’s participation and partnership with EmployIndy is off to an enthusiastic and promising start, but putting on an Advanced Manufacturing program requires more than one employer, and Peerless Pump also hosted the program’s participants for a talent tour.
“The Talent Bound program offers us a unique avenue for providing people with exposure to our company, as well as a different way to connect with talent,” said Peerless Pump’s Human Resources Director, Tammy Poulson.
Peerless Pump produces products that contribute to water cleanliness around the world, and Poulson mentioned that the company is coming up on a big 100th anniversary of doing business, for which there will, of course, be a big celebration for its employees.
Like Plastic Recycling, the fall Advanced Manufacturing program is not Peerless Pump’s only connection to EmployIndy. The Marion County company was recently approved for a Next Level Jobs Employer Training Grant, which will provide a number of current employees and new hires the opportunity to upskill via a Machinist Advancement program. As a workforce development board, EmployIndy is one of the state entities that distributes this funding.
Is your business interested in learning more about one of the opportunities highlighted above or exploring a partnership with EmployIndy? You can reach out to our Business Partnerships team via [email protected] to begin strengthening your talent pipeline today.
INDIANAPOLIS – Today at the Campus Center at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Mayor Joe Hogsett, alongside Indy Achieves representatives from both IUPUI and Ivy Tech Community College – Indianapolis, announced a $500,000 increase for Indy Achieves scholarships and grants in the proposed 2023 City Budget. 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.
“This year, nearly five hundred students received Completion Grants through the Indy Achieves Program,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “With a half a million dollar increase in 2023, we can boost that closer to seven hundred. That means even more Indianapolis students will have access to resources to unlock good-paying and rewarding careers, lifting up their families and neighborhoods along with them.”
The proposed increase in funding comes at an important juncture for Indianapolis, as just 41% of Marion County residents hold credentials beyond high school. This percentage highlights a potential shortfall according to a report by the Lumina Foundation, which states that 60% of Indiana jobs will require some form of postsecondary credentials by 2025. In effort to combat this potential shortfall, Indy Achieves works directly with students at IUPUI and Ivy Tech – Indianapolis to provide financial aid as well as proactive and individualized support from Indy Achieves Student Success Coaches in areas including financial literacy, academic planning, accessing campus and community resources, and providing career opportunities. Since its inception in 2018, Indy Achieves has supported over 3,000 Marion County students as they pursue their postsecondary degree or credential, with over $4 million in financial aid provided.
For many Indy Achieves students, the financial aid and wrap-around support they receive plays a vital role in their pursuit of a postsecondary degree or credential. “The completion grant provided me with the support that allowed me to focus on the most important aspect of school, learning,” Indy Achieves Completion Grant recipient Nyree Pegues said. Students, such as Pegues, who receive Completion Grants, are given one-time awards to cover unpaid bursar bills or other substantial debts that would have prevented them from continuing their postsecondary education. In addition to completion grants, Indy Achieves also provides Promise Scholarships to help close any remaining gaps in academic costs at either institution.
“Many Marion County students, despite great academic talent, are still struggling with the financial burden of pursuing a postsecondary degree,” said Indy Achieves Executive Director Matt Impink. “We are eager for this proposed additional funding as we work with Ivy Tech and IUPUI to deliver timely financial aid that students need, so they can focus on preparing for their career here in Indianapolis.”
Present at Mayor Hogsett’s announcement were representatives from both IUPUI and Ivy Tech – Indianapolis, who were eager to show their support. Through this increase in funding, both institutions will gain access to students who, without assistance, might not pursue a postsecondary degree or credential.“IUPUI is proud to partner with the city of Indianapolis and Ivy Tech on this successful initiative. Considering the important role financial resources play in decision-making about college, we are pleased to be able to help our students address financial challenges and create opportunities for Marion County residents through Indy Achieves. This increased investment will allow even more students to pursue their educational goals and build the pathway towards a successful future at IUPUI and beyond,” IUPUI Chancellor Andrew Klein said.
Lastly, in tandem with providing aid for current or future postsecondary students, Indy Achieves partners with Indianapolis schools and nonprofits to expand access to postsecondary degrees or credentials through efforts that increase the number of individuals who apply for existing financial aid programs such as 21st Century Scholars and FAFSA.
To learn more about Indy Achieves or to find out how you can partner, visit www.indyachieves.org.
INDIANAPOLIS — Today, August 31, 2022, Mayor Joe Hogsett visited WorkOne Indy, Marion County’s full-service American Job Center for one-stop career service support. During the visit, Mayor Hogsett toured the WorkOne Indy facility and discussed strategies for re-engaging workers in Indy’s tight labor market with WorkOne and EmployIndy staff. The event took place during Wednesdays @ WorkOne, a weekly hiring event featuring Marion County employers.
“EmployIndy and WorkOne Indy have been tremendous resources for employees and employers alike, especially during the pandemic and its aftermath,” said Mayor Hogsett. “With Wednesdays @ WorkOne, both have a regular opportunity to network and find that perfect employee/employer match. The kinds of relationships built at WorkOne Indy will be critical to securing a strong economic future for our residents and our community.”
So far in 2022, over 85,000 Marion County residents have received job training, job readiness, and job search support at WorkOne Indy via in-person and virtual career workshops, hiring events, one-on-ones with career navigators, and more. Through Wednesdays @ WorkOne hiring events alone, local employers have conducted over 1,400 interviews and hired 663 new workers in 2022.
Angela Carr Klitzsch, EmployIndy president and CEO, led the tour while highlighting how EmployIndy, who oversees WorkOne Indy, has successfully re-engaged workers and assisted local employers with meeting their demand for entry-level to middle-skill workers, post-pandemic. “Our team at WorkOne Indy has been doing an incredible job of making a space for job seekers to build skills and use those new skills as they get connected to hiring employers. And through Wednesdays @ WorkOne, job seekers have weekly opportunities to meet employers who represent a wide range of industries such as finance, healthcare, IT, logistics, manufacturing, nonprofit, and more,” said Klitzsch.
The impacts of COVID-19 on the workforce have created challenges for employers to hire adequate numbers of skilled workers. Even though Marion County’s current unemployment rate is below pre-pandemic levels, the number of unique job postings continues to increase. WorkOne Indy and EmployIndy are working to address the mismatch between the number of available workers and the demand for workers in organizations like LiUNA Local 120, American Senior Communities, and RATP Dev.
LiUNA Local 120, which currently represents 2,100 members in the construction industry within the Indianapolis area, has taken advantage of WorkOne Indy’s services for employers. Through Wednesdays @ WorkOne and their own distinct events at WorkOne Indy, LiUNA Local 120 has hired over 125 new workers this calendar year. “WorkOne Indy has been a great resource for helping us connect with residents who are looking for a way to learn more about the construction industry,” said Marty Corpuz, field representative at LiUNA. “Through their hiring events, we’re receiving a lot of applications and that’s allowing us to move more workers towards our apprenticeship program and an eventual career in construction.”
In addition to the work being done at WorkOne Indy, EmployIndy has various talent solutions to assist employers with customized talent attraction, training, and retention strategies. The Good Wages Initiative, Rapid Re-Employment Response, Modern Apprenticeship, andTalent Bound are just a few of the EmployIndy initiatives to build talent pipelines at an earlier stage, connect employers to talent, and provide robust solutions for meeting workforce needs.
“WorkOne Indy provides over 20 free workshops every week and has career navigators onsite daily to provide individualized assistance. In addition, WorkOne Indy offers the public access to computers, printers, and free wi-fi for their own devices,” said Penny Dunning, vice president of Career Services at EmployIndy.
WorkOne Indy’s full-service location at 4410 Shadeland Ave in Indianapolis is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Job seekers are encouraged to view available resources and upcoming workshop details by visitingworkoneindy.com. Employers looking to get connected to a pipeline of talent can learn more by visitingemployindy.org or reaching out to the Business Partnerships team by emailing [email protected].
In 2023, the hiring event continues to build upon the successes of last year. Just 6 months into the year, Wednesdays@WorkOne has already exceeded half of last year’s number of circulating individuals. It helps that about four new businesses are also showing up per week—at least one indicator that there are still jobs out there to be found—and at least 560 people have landed a job from their interactions with those employers so far this year. 
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