In today’s rapidly evolving economy, the success of a region depends on how well its systems—workforce development, education, economic growth, and community services—work together. At EmployIndy, this isn’t just a vision; it’s a strategy in action.
As Indianapolis’ workforce development board, EmployIndy plays a pivotal role in aligning resources and partners to ensure job seekers receive the right support at the right time, and employers access the talent they need without unnecessary delays or duplication. Through cross-sector collaboration, policy advocacy, and innovative programming, EmployIndy builds an integrated system that maximizes resources and streamlines service delivery.
Here’s how we’re making it happen:
Bridging Classrooms and Careers
EmployIndy is transforming how young people prepare for the workforce by embedding career-connected learning into the K–12 experience. Through initiatives like Talent Bound and the Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP), students gain hands-on experience in high-demand industries such as healthcare, business operations, and advanced manufacturing.
Over 599 employers and 142 youth apprentices from 12 high schools are engaged in career-connected learning within these programs.
IPS student participation in work-based learning has increased by 600%.
As part of the Accelerate ED initiative, EmployIndy helped launch a pathway blueprint for Cybersecurity that allows students to earn dual credits and industry-recognized certifications starting in 9th grade—setting them on a fast track to high-wage careers.
Removing Barriers to Success
EmployIndy understands that career readiness goes beyond skills—it’s also about support. That’s why we’ve built a robust coaching and training infrastructure. Last year, 10,923 clients and participants enrolled in EmployIndy programs and initiatives to receive career coaching, training, and wraparound services.
Indy Achieves, in partnership with IU Indianapolis, removes financial barriers to postsecondary education by promoting access to financial aid, offering Promise Scholarships and Completion Grants, and providing wraparound support services for Marion County students.
In 2024 alone, it supported 2,224 scholars, generating an estimated $11.8 million in economic benefit.
The YES Indy network, in partnership with community-based organizations (CBO) across the city, offers job readiness training in tandem with barrier-busting supports like childcare and transportation.
Last year, YES Indy helped participants earn 275 certifications in high-demand fields.
Matching People to Opportunity
EmployIndy’s Talent Connection initiatives, including WorkOne Indy, streamline how job seekers and employers connect—delivering efficient, targeted engagement. Through strategic partnerships, community outreach, and employer-driven programming, these efforts help reduce barriers to employment and accelerate hiring timelines.
3,309 individuals were placed in good or promising jobs in 2024.
Last year, weekly hiring events at WorkOne Indy attracted 14,559 job seekers and connected them with 259 unique employers.
By maximizing efficiency in the hiring process, EmployIndy’s Talent Connection efforts not only offer real-time access to opportunities across a wide range of industries but also help businesses fill roles more quickly with qualified candidates—creating a more agile and responsive labor market in Marion County.
We’ve collaborated with IU Indianapolis and IPS to create a Seamless Admission process for students with a 3.0 GPA—eliminating application fees and paperwork.
We’ve influenced key legislation, including:
HB 1243: A new diploma focused on career readiness.
SB 8: Flexible postsecondary pathways.
HB 1001: Streamlined career scholarship and coaching grants.
We’ve developed a Career Advising Framework now used statewide to guide career coaching in schools.
To date, 128 employers have been certified for paying at least $18/hour and offering health benefits.
Last year, this resulted in $5.81 million in increased wages, improving retention and economic mobility for workers.
By raising wages and expanding benefits, the Good Wages Initiative fosters a resilient, inclusive labor market that benefits workers, employers, and the broader community.
The Power of Partnership: A Model for Modern Workforce Development
This integrated approach reflects EmployIndy’s commitment to building a coordinated network that reduces duplication, accelerates access to opportunity, and delivers measurable outcomes for individuals and employers alike.
Interested in getting involved? Reach out to [email protected] to get connected.
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].
While the record unemployment numbers seen during the COVID-19 global health crisis are in the rearview mirror, there are still hindrances for residents in Marion County when seeking out employment, including connecting with hiring employers and finding the personalized support needed to take advantage of new employment opportunities.
Utilizing the Ascend Network, an online technology platform from Ascend Indiana, Rapid Re-Employment Response pairs job seekers with a skilled recruiter who, through personalized support, works to connect them to career opportunities and resources based on their interests and skills.
“The success of our Talent Connection services, and Rapid Re-Employment Response, has been greatly bolstered by the work from our recruitment managers,” said Tiffani McLaurin, Director, Talent Network. “The human element that’s provided to job seekers is crucial in helping them have the confidence and perseverance needed as they seek out new opportunities.”
So far in 2023, Rapid Re-Employment Response has connected 133 individuals to jobs in Marion County. Additionally, expanded outreach and marketing strategies have led to a 282% increase in monthly active users compared to active users seen in 2022.
As the workforce development board for Marion County and an intermediary, EmployIndy serves both workers seeking employment and businesses seeking talent. Individualized connection services, like Rapid Re-Employment Response, create efficiencies in the job-placement process, helping ensure the best fit for both parties.
In program year 2022, EmployIndy helped placed a total of over 2,100 individuals in good and promising jobs as a result of direct intervention. Through our Wednesdays @ WorkOne weekly hiring events that take place at our full-service location on the city’s Eastside, 1,084 individuals were connected to hiring employers where they went on to obtain employment. And through our Youth Employment System, YES Indy, 383 youth, ages 16-24, were placed in jobs after completing various industry trainings or work experiences. These larger talent connection efforts help serve both workers seeking employment and businesses seeking talent, resulting in a streamlined job-placement process that lands more Marion County workers in good and promising jobs.
Job seekers looking to find personalized support for their employment search are encouraged to learn more and get started today at www.employindy.org/rapidreemploymentresponse.
When analyzing the barriers that job seekers face in seeking employment, educational attainment is a common obstacle ⎯ specifically high school completion. From March 2020 through March 2021, 55.7% of Marion County unemployment insurance claimants reported that they had a high school diploma or less. Individuals with lower levels of education or training often experience higher unemployment rates, lower median family income, and fewer opportunities for skills advancement.
Through CARES Act funding distributed by the City of Indianapolis, Marion County adult education providers expanded services and funded more opportunities for individuals to receive the training and reskilling necessary to take the next step towards their education and career goals. “This investment allows for more residents to overcome barriers to pursuing and completing post secondary education or training, which will better prepare them to land a good job in Indianapolis as the economy recovers,” said Marie Mackintosh, EmployIndy Chief Strategy Officer.
The Rapid Reskilling grant has acted as a vital support to local adult education providers by reimbursing them for investments in COVID-affected participants enrolled in their adult education programs. Throughout the grant period at the height of the pandemic, the Rapid Reskilling grant paid over $4.4 million in reimbursements to Marion County adult education providers for use in improving their training and e-learning services. Providers and students accessed barrier-busting resources and technology solutions to adapt to the acute need for virtual and hybrid classroom models. Overall, this investment enabled more Marion County residents to finish high school, remediate basic skills, and pursue occupational training in high-wage, high-demand career pathways.
Take a moment to watch the video below and see the powerful impact that these adult education programs have had on individuals in our communities.
To learn more about adult education and upcoming training opportunities or to get connected to an adult education provider near you, visit: workoneindy.com/adult-ed/.
