A History Focused on Meeting Community + Workforce Needs

EmployIndy was founded in 1983 with a focus on providing workforce services to Marion County residents. Through the years, this approach to meeting the workforce needs in Marion County has evolved with the community- moving from the role of a direct service provider to a community-centered 501(c)(3) with a focus on creating equitable job opportunities and self-sufficiency for underrepresented residents. Through this evolution, EmployIndy has become a steadfast leader of the local workforce ecosystem. EmployIndy continues to work toward the vision that all Marion County residents 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 timeline on the 2017-2022 Strategic Plan neared an end, EmployIndy committed to reviewing and revising its Strategic Plan to ensure the organization’s approach was meeting the needs of Marion County residents and employers in a post-pandemic, rapidly changing economy. EmployIndy partnered with the consulting firm Hedges to garner insight from community stakeholders and revisit the prioritized goals and strategies to create a timely and meaningful Strategic Plan for the next three years. 

A Future Focused on Impactful Change

Part of the eleven-month planning process included engaging over 250 local stakeholders in ten listening sessions, including individuals from: YES Indy Network; Ecosystem Enrichment Network; churches and faith-based organizations; employer and business groups; community-based organizations; postsecondary training providers; philanthropic partners and funders; K12 school partners; EmployIndy staff; and youth members of the community. Drawing on the feedback from stakeholders, members of the EmployIndy Workforce Development Board and staff went through a comprehensive planning process to identify where the organization needs to focus over the next three years. 

The result is the 2023-2025 Strategic Plan that is grounded in four primary interventions and their respective Theories of Change, including Career-Connected Learning, Coaching and Training, Talent Connection, and Job Quality. Guided by four Strategic Goals, each organizational intervention is driven by a set of deliberate Strategic Initiatives, and measured with organizational and community Key Success Indicators. 

As EmployIndy looks to the future, it remains anchored by the organization’s mission to guide the local workforce ecosystem and make strategic investments to promote equity and remove barriers to quality employment for underserved and underrepresented residents. This 2023-2025 Strategic Plan will serve as the guiding commitment while EmployIndy continues to be responsive to the evolving education, training, and career needs of Marion County as its workforce leader and intermediary.

Implementation Grounded in Core Principles

EmployIndy is committed to having the following Core Principles serve as the guide for how the Strategic Plan will be implemented: 

Career Centered
  • We will prioritize an approach that centers tailored career pathways for all individuals in Marion County. 
Data Directed
  • We will use and measure multiple forms of data to support evidence-based interventions and hold ourselves, our partners, and the community accountable to our commitments. 
Equitable Interventions
  • We will ensure partnerships and resources are distributed with a focus on creating more equitable outcomes for all Marion County residents.
Operational Efficiencies 
  • We will streamline business operations and systems internally to ensure talent at EmployIndy have the tools they need to collaboratively deliver outcomes effectively.
Partnerships 
  • We will build collaborative partnerships with businesses and community organizations that address gaps in the city's workforce ecosystem. 
“I appreciate the intentionality of EmployIndy. They are doing an amazing job anticipating questions, creating fidelity within the network and developing practical tools for us providers.”
- YES Indy Service Provider
Career-Connected Learning

Career-Connected Learning

Career-connected learning prepares students for success in the 21st-century economy by providing real-world work experiences with local businesses to inform career choices and build skills.
Coaching + Training

Coaching + Training

As the economy evolves and businesses grow to require workers with additional specialized skills, postsecondary training is a necessity for most workers. Coaching helps students and jobseekers navigate options and persist through completion.
Talent Connection

Talent Connection

As an intermediary, EmployIndy serves both workers seeking employment and businesses seeking workers. Individualized connection services create efficiencies in the job-placement process, offering assistance to ensure the best fit for both parties.
Good Jobs

Good Jobs

Businesses will be competitive and thrive in the global marketplace when they invest in job quality and wage equity practices in collaboration with the workforce ecosystem to provide high-quality experiences for their workers to prosper.

TIF Training Grants

The funding for TIF Training Grants comes from the NextLevel Jobs program, overseen by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. These grantees are reimbursed for their work to hire, train, and retain Indianapolis workers. It removes the financial barriers that many employers face during the hiring process and allows them to provide opportunities for growth and employee success throughout the training process.

Story of Impact

Increasing Employer and Workforce Engagement

The vision behind NextLevel Jobs stems from the need to engage the current workforce and provide individuals with opportunities to grow within their company. In order to receive reimbursement for hiring and training, the employee must stay on for at minimum six months.

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