Fairbanks Foundation awards $13M to create new statewide apprenticeship program
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation on Wednesday announced it awarded $12.9 million in grants to eight Indiana organizations working to develop career training through a new statewide apprenticeship initiative.
The first students in the Career Apprenticeship Pathway, or INCAP, will start in fall 2026 and split time between school and the workplace, learning about careers in industries including banking, manufacturing and health care.
Under the initiative, at least 50% of the students’ time will be spent on the job. Students will be paid and work throughout the year.
The program, seen as an educational alternative to college for some, starts with high school students. But INCAP is expected to be offered to adults in the coming years.
The goal is to have 50,000 students in apprenticeships by 2034, said Claire Fiddian-Green, CEO of the Fairbanks Foundation and co-chair of CEMETS iLab Indiana, a coalition of more than 300 state leaders from industry, K-12 and higher education, government and philanthropic organizations.
“We really feel like it’s incredibly important for us to get this right and give more high school students and adults the opportunity to get the education training they need to get integrated careers,” Fiddian-Green said.
She added that less than 40% of adults in Indiana have a post-secondary degree, associate or bachelor’s degrees. “In less than a decade, more than 70% of jobs in our country will require something more than just a high school diploma—not necessarily a college degree, but something more,” Fiddian-Green said.
That grants follow the passage of a new state law, Senate Enrolled Act 448, designed to bolster on-the-job training opportunities for Hoosier high school students before they graduate.
The Fairbanks Foundation is funding the creation of INCAP, and CEMETS iLab Indiana will organize the effort.
David Becker, chair and CEO of First Internet Bank and co-chair of CEMETS iLab Indiana, said Indiana’s apprenticeship effort largely is modeled after similar programs in Switzerland that prepare young people for careers.
“Finding good employees has always been a challenge for 40 years of my career,” Becker said. “We’re hiring outside of the state of Indiana. … So, seeing the Swiss program in action, I fell in love with it, and I think it could solve a whole lot of issues.”
Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation apprenticeship grantees
A portion of the Fairbanks Foundation grants, $9.6 million, was awarded to Ascend Indiana for purposes including supporting statewide employer groups (called Industry Talent Associations, or ITAs), managing CEMETS iLab Indiana, and for infrastructure and marketing efforts.
Also, a combined $540,000 in grants are dedicated to the launch of two new ITAs focused on construction and information technology for student career opportunities. The Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation and the Indiana Chamber Foundation received those grants.
An additional $640,000 went to organizations supporting four ITAs founded in 2024 supporting other job categories:
- Conexus Indiana, for advanced manufacturing and logistics.
- Indiana Bankers Association, for banking.
- BioCrossroads, for health care and life sciences.
The Indy Chamber Foundation also received $1.7 million for promotion efforts and $430,000 to EmployIndy to support the existing Modern Apprenticeship program and to help with the transition to INCAP.