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.