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 businesspartnerships@nullemployindy.org to begin strengthening your talent pipeline today.