EmployIndy announced the receipt of a $1.5 million grant by the Pathways Impact Fund, a national initiative of StriveTogether. The purpose of this grant is to expand access to the most in-demand career and learning experiences for high school students in Central Indiana.
“EmployIndy has supported the development of strong pathways programs and deep career-connected learning partnerships in Marion County over the past eight years,” said Ken Clark, president and CEO of EmployIndy.
This award is part of the Pathways Impact Fund’s $7.5 million commitment to regional intermediaries working to scale high-quality pathways across five states. The fund’s strategy focuses on ensuring that more young people have access to high-quality advising, accelerated coursework, and career-connected learning that leads to purposeful pathways and economic mobility.
EmployIndy was founded more than 40 years ago and has continued to evolve into the region’s leading workforce and pathways intermediary.
“With Indiana’s new diploma requirements and readiness seals, every district now needs the infrastructure, employer connections, and advising capacity to ensure students can graduate with a clear plan,” Clark said. “This investment allows us to expand what’s already working, scaling high-quality advising, career-connected learning, and accelerated coursework to reach thousands more students across Central Indiana.”
The focus is leading every student to economic opportunity by enhancing a “proven model,” no matter which school they attend, Clark added.
By connecting employers with talent, guiding residents toward meaningful careers, and aligning education and industry partners around a stronger, more accessible economy, EmployIndy has played a critical role in coordinating the county’s complex education landscape public and charter schools, and more than 25,000 employers.
“EmployIndy understands that building effective pathways isn’t just about individual programs — it’s about creating the regional systems and partnerships that allow those programs to reach every student,” said John Garcia III, executive director of the Pathways Impact Fund. “Their work transforming Central Indiana from strong local efforts into a coherent regional system exemplifies the kind of systems-level coordination we would like to see nationwide.”
For more information visit https://employindy.org/ .
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
