Hundreds of educators, students, employers, and policymakers gathered for the New Skills Ready Network (NSRN) Fall Convening on Nov. 19 in downtown Indianapolis, highlighting the many strides made to bridge gaps in postsecondary education and workforce readiness.
Launched in 2020 with a $7 million investment by JPMorgan Chase across six cities, the initiative focuses on empowering underserved students through quality career pathways.
“At JPMorgan Chase, we believe every young person deserves a pathway to economic success. However, we know that opportunity is often out of reach. This investment in high-quality career-focused education programs helps give Indianapolis students a real shot,” said Christina Moungey, Indiana & Ohio Region Manager for JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. “We are grateful to EmployIndy and the various local educational institutions for carrying out this work. Together, we can make a difference.”
Spearheaded by EmployIndy, the Indianapolis chapter showcased how innovative partnerships enhance student success and strengthen the region’s workforce.
Kevin Lopez, a first-year business major at Indiana University Indianapolis, believes his interests led him to pursue higher education.
“I wanted to do something with numbers once I got to college,” Lopez said. “Being around accounting and learning about the main parts of running a business attracted me to business.”
Indianapolis’ unique labor force challenges underscored the importance of initiatives like NSRN. With only 67.5% of the working-age population participating in the labor force and a 14.1% poverty rate among working-age residents, these programs aim to address systemic issues.
The city’s talent pipeline has historically struggled with retaining college graduates, ranking among the bottom ten cities in this metric. Through efforts like enhanced career advising and guaranteed seamless admissions agreements, NSRN is boosting enrollment and ensuring students are retained and complete their education, thus preparing them for higher-wage jobs.
Lopez said that programs like Career Pathways alleviate the overwhelming nature of the college application process.
One standout program, the seamless admissions initiative launched in 2023, yielded extraordinary results. A collaboration between Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), IU Indianapolis, and EmployIndy automatically admits IPS students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
This initiative has led to a 130% increase in IPS student admissions to IU Indianapolis, with enrollment numbers rising by 84%.
Work-based learning has been another critical emphasis of the NSRN initiative. Students like Jhaniyah Litt, a social work major from Indianapolis, thrive in programs like the Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP), which enables high school students to gain professional experience in high-demand fields.
“Luckily, through the support of my supervisors and coworkers, they created a safe environment where I felt comfortable asking questions,” Litt said. “Now, I can better understand the projects I receive with a bit more peace.”
One of the most striking achievements of NSRN is its ability to address gaps in work-based learning opportunities. By partnering with local employers, the initiative achieved a 600% increase in high-quality work-based learning (WBL) activities for IPS students, bridging the gap between education and real-world applications. Personalized career coaching was invaluable for Sandra Ramirez, a second-year Ivy Tech student and participant in the Indy Achieves program.
Ramirez, the first in her family to attend college, studies business while also being a licensed welder.
“I knew the strength within myself and wanted to prove everyone wrong,” Ramirez said. “I now know what I am capable of.”
With the right partnerships, empowerment, and funding from programs like the New Skills Ready Network, more future leaders can see the potential in themselves like Lopez, Litt, and Ramirez.