UIndy Center Announces Training Grants
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe University of Indianapolis' Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning is detailing more than $450,000 in grants. The organization says the funding is designed to support efforts that align education programs with employer needs.
July 1, 2013
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — The Indiana Education Workforce Innovation Network has awarded eight regional partnership grants totaling more than $450,000 in a drive to align high school, college, and career and technical education programs with specific employment opportunities around the state.
A joint venture of Indiana's Education Roundtable and the University of Indianapolis Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, EWIN was formed in 2012 with support from Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Joyce Foundation.
With the ultimate aim of increasing Hoosiers' educational attainment and eliminating barriers to workforce development, EWIN supports regional education-business partnerships in developing new models of technical education; strengthening math programs to reduce the need for remediation; and promoting dual-credit courses that allow high school students to earn transferable college credits in academic and technical subjects.
“The task of aligning curriculum with job opportunities will require a statewide network of educators, policymakers and interested citizens,” said Todd Hurst, CELL's director of education and workforce innovation. “We're pleased to be working in each of these regions to build that network, which can then collaborate with other state and local agencies to develop new solutions for Indiana's students.”
The regional groups receiving EWIN’s first round of grants are:
Center of Workforce Innovations, Valparaiso
Amount: $75,000
Plan: Identify areas of excellence in education and workforce alignment; support the replication of effective models and the development of innovative programs.
Work One South Bend
Amount: $60,000
Plan: Partner with Orthoworx and Warsaw Community Schools to develop a career and technical education pathway for the growing field of medical manufacturing.
Ivy Tech North Central
Amount: $40,000
Plan: Partner with The Crossing, an alternative school, to provide career and technical education dual-credit opportunities leading to associate’s degrees in work-ready fields.
Northeast Indiana Fund, Fort Wayne
Amount: $75,000
Plan: Partner with The Big Goal Collaborative and Ivy Tech Northeast to expand career and technical education opportunities, particularly in advanced manufacturing.
Alliance for Strategic Growth, Muncie
Amount: $25,000
Plan: Develop a new articulated curriculum for the advanced manufacturing pipeline and scale it to develop new models of career and technical education for the region.
Western Indiana Workforce Investment Board, Terre Haute
Amount: $32,500
Plan: Align and scale existing workforce-education initiatives in the region; engage key partners to implement a regional classroom-to-career program.
Work One Southwest, Evansville
Amount: $75,000
Plan: Form a regional network to align education and workforce outcomes, increase enrollment in career and technical programs and expand dual-credit and career education opportunities.
EmployIndy, Indianapolis
Amount: $75,000
Plan: Partner with the city's Hire Up Indy initiative to expand career and technical education opportunities for youths and adults, including internships, mentorships and scholarships.
Indiana's Education Roundtable is a partnership between the Office of the Governor and the Indiana Department of Education. Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said she was pleased to see EWIN’s work proceeding as planned.
“We need to ensure that all Hoosier students graduate from high school, and that they are college- and career-ready,” Ritz said. “I look forward to working with these groups to begin to make that a reality.”
More information on the Education Workforce Innovation Network is available at http://iewin.org.
About CELL
Established in 2001, the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis is leading the way in innovative education change in Indiana. By uniting schools, communities, businesses, universities and policymakers, CELL leads a statewide network of support to connect economic development to academic achievement. CELL is committed to preparing all Hoosier students with the knowledge and skills necessary to attain postsecondary education and succeed in a 21st-century global economy. More information is available at http://cell.uindy.edu.
Source: University of Indianapolis