INDIANAPOLIS (May 18, 2022) The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet has awarded 6 high schools and career centers with an Education Readiness Grant. The new grant program is offered in partnership with Conexus Indiana and will support recipients in preparing students for careers in the increasingly high-tech advanced manufacturing industry.
The Cabinet awarded a total of $493,397. Grant recipients will use the funding to purchase new, smart manufacturing technologies and equipment identified in their applications as they prepare to implement programs in the 2022-2023 school year.
2022 Education Readiness Grant recipients:
- Delphi Community School Corporation
- Lincoln High School
- Manchester Community Schools
- North Montgomery Community School Corporation
- Plymouth High School
- Southern Indiana Career and Technical Center
Education Readiness Grants complement Indiana’s Next Level Programs of Study (NLPS), which ensures all students have access to career and technical education (CTE) with the opportunity to earn dual credits, postsecondary credentials, and engage in work-based learning experiences. All grant recipients were required to be implementing one of two newly available programs of study, Industry 4.0 – Smart Manufacturing or Industrial Automation and Robotics.
Next Level Programs of Study, Indiana’s redesign of secondary career and technical education courses, is made up of 65 programs of study launching in the 2022-2023 school year. Over 50 of the new programs of study were available to schools and career centers this school year on an opt-in basis.
In addition to providing grants to secondary schools, Education Readiness Grants will strengthen partnerships between industry and local schools. Applicants were specifically encouraged to partner with local employers who have participated in the statewide Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, a partnership between Conexus Indiana and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation that has supported a projected $93 million in capital investment in Industry 4.0 technologies. Each grant recipient demonstrated a direct connection with local advanced manufacturers with the goal of recruiting more students to CTE and graduating job-ready students with experience and credentials that apply to local employers.
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About the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet
The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet (GWC) was formed in 2018 with the mission of addressing current and future education and employment needs for individuals and employers, strengthening Indiana’s economy by integrating and aligning state and federal resources, and ensuring a talent-driven education and workforce system. The membership of the GWC includes the business community, K-12 representatives, postsecondary institutions, Indiana lawmakers, and leaders from Indiana state
agencies.
About Conexus Indiana
For more than a decade, Conexus Indiana, one of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) nonprofit initiatives, has been positioning the Hoosier State as the best place for advanced manufacturing and logistics industries to innovate, invest, employ and succeed. By collaborating with
industry, academic and public sector partners on a shared vision for an innovative, skilled workforce and stronger business climate, Conexus Indiana has helped to create opportunities for advanced manufacturing and logistics companies, prepare Hoosiers to succeed in the state’s largest industry
sectors and maintain Indiana’s competitive advantage. For more information, go to www.conexusindiana.com.