Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Two education training sites in southern Indiana were each awarded $175,000 to launch youth apprenticeship pilots in their local communities.
Southern Indiana Education Center in Jasper and Southern Indiana Works in New Albany were among four facilities chosen for the awards.
Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, made the announcement earlier this month.
Funding for these pilot programs comes from the Walton Family Foundation and is administered by Ascend Indiana through the CICP Foundation. The four sites serve 29 counties and include:
- Southern Indiana Education Center (Jasper)
- Southern Indiana Works (New Albany)
- West Central Indiana Career and Technical Education Center (Crawfordsville)
- Eastern Indiana Works (Muncie) + East Central Education Service Center (New Castle)
These sites are part of the Indiana Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator, which Ascend launched in 2021 to expand work-based learning programs and to develop a coordinated education-to-career ecosystem that provides all students across the state, in both urban and rural areas, with additional opportunities to obtain the necessary skills for today’s workforce. With the addition of these newly awarded sites, the Indiana Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator now includes eight sites serving 42 Indiana counties.
Southern Indiana Education Center serves Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer and Sullivan counties.
It plans to use its funds to focus on the healthcare industry due to the projected growth of this industry sector surpassing all other sectors in southwest Indiana.
“The SIEC is thankful to the Walton Family Foundation and Ascend Indiana for funding youth apprenticeships in Southwest Indiana. The SIEC has launched Project Protege, our youth apprenticeship program, and is excited to work with employers, educators, & community leaders to shape the next generation of talent in Southwest Indiana,” reads the release.
Southern Indiana Works serves Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Scott and Washington counties. SIW will initially focus on the healthcare industry and is actively engaged in discussions regarding pathways encompassing both information technology and business operations.
“These four sites have identified industries and career pathways that are meaningful to their local communities, and I am eager to see their programs become available to local students and employers,” said Brad Rhorer, president and CEO of Ascend Indiana in prepared remarks. “Indiana is leading the nation in building a system to support the development and delivery of youth apprenticeship programs statewide and these sites are part of that statewide movement.”
Youth apprenticeships are gaining momentum across the country and in Indiana, providing students and adult learners with access to high quality education and training options. This initiative aims to help all Hoosiers reach their potential and contribute meaningfully to the economic and civic vitality of their communities.
Youth apprentices start in their junior year of high school and complete a 2-3 year program to prepare for in-demand careers in a variety of industries including information technology, financial services, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. Through a combination of classroom learning and paid, on-the-job training under the mentorship of a skilled employee, students earn their high school diplomas and industry-recognized credentials. They can also gain postsecondary credits aligned to degree programs, which enable them to launch a career, pursue further higher education, or both.
Each Youth Apprenticeship Accelerator site has collaborated with local employers and education partners and drawn on regional data to identify occupations that are significant for regional growth. Key occupations and fields of interest among the four newly awarded sites are in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology and education.