Laying the Groundwork for Change
Navigating a Shifting Landscape
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for degreed and credentialed talent while widening long-standing gaps in education and employment.
Fewer high school students are enrolling in or completing postsecondary education, with the sharpest declines among Black and Latino males. Today, Black and Hispanic/Latino residents face lower employment rates and wages compared to their white peers.
At the same time, nearly 30,000 Opportunity Youth—young people ages 16–24—are disconnected from school and work.
EmployIndy’s 2023–2025 Strategic Plan was built in direct response to these challenges. It centers on opportunity, access, and clear career pathways to ensure every resident can succeed in a changing economy.
How We’re Making a Difference
To address the evolving needs and challenges of the Marion County workforce, we focus on four theories of change that connect people to opportunity—and employers to talent.
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of work-based learning experiences facilitated
Our Career-Connected Learning Services
About
Career 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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of participants enrolled in EmployIndy-led coaching or training
Our Career Coaching & Training Services
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of EmployIndy participants placed in a good or promising job
Our Talent Connection Services
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of employers we work with to improve job quality
Our Good Jobs Services
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of work-based learning experiences facilitated
Our Career-Connected Learning Services
About
Career 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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of participants enrolled in EmployIndy-led coaching or training
Our Career Coaching & Training Services
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of EmployIndy participants placed in a good or promising job
Our Talent Connection Services
About
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.
Key Success Indicator
Total number of employers we work with to improve job quality
Our Good Jobs Services
How We Know It’s Working
EmployIndy evaluates progress and impact using both organizational and community-level key success indicators. To assess broader, system-level impact, we monitor community-wide outcomes disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender.
Educational Attainment
EmployIndy measures community investments and its impact on systems change, tracking the increase in the number of residents with post-secondary education/credential.
Good & Promising Jobs
EmployIndy measures community investments and its impact on systems change, tracking the increase in the number of jobs in our economy that meet the Good or Promising definition.
Opportunity Youth
EmployIndy measures community investments and its impact on systems change, tracking the increase in the number/percentage of youth aged 16-24 that are connected to education and/or employment.