Formed in 2016, the Indianapolis Regional Workforce Partnership (RWP) brings together leadership from the City of Indianapolis, EmployIndy, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (Ascend Indiana and Conexus), Indy Chamber, United Way of Central Indiana, Indiana Chamber, Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship, Commission for Higher Education (CHE), Indiana Chamber and Skillful Indiana to pursue meaningful policy priorities that create a stronger climate for businesses, individuals, and our community. Becoming an official member of the National Fund will allow the RWP to deepen their collective knowledge of innovation and strategies by learning from other network communities. The RWP’s collaborative goals are to increase the number of students who graduate on time with a high school diploma; students who complete a postsecondary degree or credential; workers who are upskilled and placed in jobs with increased wages, earning $18+ per hour; and workers who enter or return to the labor force. The RWP works to accomplish these goals by a mix of on the ground programmatic work and broader systems change work.
Sector Focus
Industry Partnerships
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership
The Indianapolis region is rich with sector partnerships led by industry through the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership in the industries of agbioscience, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics, advanced energy technology, and technology. As a result of these strong partnerships and significant philanthropic investment, EmployIndy has taken a cross-sector approach that compliments the sector strategies in place.
Indianapolis New Skills Ready Network
The Indianapolis New Skills Ready Network (NSRN) is a cross-sector initiative dedicated to aligning, strengthening, and expanding career and technical education pathways for Indiana’s high school and postsecondary students. The complimentary initiative, Talent Bound, is our work-based learning intermediary initiative focused on career exploration through exposures, engagements and experiences that provide equitable opportunity, leading to good jobs with economic mobility. We have taken a primary focus with professional services, healthcare and construction to better serve the current talent deficits within our region. Specific examples of these strategies include our Modern Apprenticeship pilot, in partnership with Ascend Indiana, with a focus in Business Operations occupations such as project coordinator and business operations associate. We are also working with the construction industry to create stronger connections to youth and young adult workers to build a long-term talent pipeline for the industry.