$7M initiative to match Hoosiers to careers

For years, officials around the state have fretted about the skills gap: that Hoosiers' education levels don't match up with what employers need for available high-paying jobs, leading to rising income inequality.

The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership is scheduled to announce Tuesday a $7 million initiative called Ascend Indiana to tackle the problem, with the help of Indiana's top business and education leaders.

The initiative renames the former Central Indiana Workforce Development Initiative and is funded mostly by a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment.

Ascend Indiana will craft solutions, such as building talent pipelines, that can be replicated for different companies or industries. For example, with models such as College for America, employers can offer college programs to its employees. The employees receive low-cost training specifically tailored for their jobs, while employers can efficiently mold workers to their needs and cultivate more loyalty to their companies.

"To meet workforce demands, employers must actively partner with education institutions and credential-granting organizations to develop innovative programs that prepare the next generation of employees," Joyce Irwin, Community Health Network Foundation president and CEO, said in a statement.

Ascend Indiana President and CEO Jason Kloth likened the initiative to the local education reform group The Mind Trust, which incubates promising programs.

It will also work to match students and adults to career paths — aligning the supply of workers to the demand of the workforce. It targets an estimated 215,000 adults in Central Indiana who lack postsecondary credentials, Kloth said.

About 40 percent of Hoosiers hold postsecondary credentials, according to the most recent study from the Lumina Foundation, while experts predict two-thirds of jobs will soon require a certificate or degree.

Closing that gap is especially crucial with the modernization of Indiana's manufacturing economy, officials say.

Ascend Indiana will collaborate with other workforce development groups, including the regional works council and EmployIndy, in addition to the city of Indianapolis and the Indy Chamber.

"Our city's long-term success is dependent on building a talented workforce prepared for the demands of our innovative and changing economy," Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement.

Call IndyStar reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang.