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Empowering Indiana's Modern Workforce

Choose Indiana

Bridging Indiana's Talent Gap

Indiana’s growth in emerging industries brings opportunities—for Hoosiers and employers alike. Developing the talent to fuel these industries is a collective effort.

$ 28.7 Billion

of investment is coming to the state from companies committed to locate or expand in Indiana.

Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation 

Ascend Indiana

72%

of jobs in the U.S. will require education or
training beyond high school by 2031.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

63%

Indiana’s labor force
participation rate.

Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development, September 2024

72%

Jobs in U.S. that will require education of
training beyond high school by 2031.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

63%

Indiana’s labor force
participation rate.

Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development, September 2024

Unlocking Indiana's Full Potential

Ascend is the link across Indiana’s labor market—connecting and creating solutions to ensure all Hoosiers and all employers are equipped to thrive in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Ascend Indiana

K-12 and Postsecondary Students and Families
Ascend Indiana

Educators and Academic Influencers

Industry and Employer Partners

Nonprofit Organizations

Government and Policymakers

The Ascend Network

Our innovative job matching platform connects job seekers with good and promising careers while helping Indiana employers find and hire qualified candidates.

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Guiding Statewide Progress

About Ascend

Connect

Connections come in all forms - whether we are connecting talent to careers or connecting the dots for the entire workforce ecosystem.

Connect

Workforce Strategies

With input from employers, educators, job seekers and more, we build and deliver solutions that serve the entire ecosystem at scale.

Workforce Strategies

Data Insights

Our experience with employers, job seekers and others gives us unprecedented insights that we share with our stakeholders to make informed decisions.

Data Insights
About Ascend

Impact in Action

Discover our impact. See how Ascend is paving the way and driving success for Indiana job seekers and the statewide labor market.

 

Zander Huss

Empowering Indiana’s Next Generation of Talent

With support from the Questa Education Foundation, Zander Huss overcame financial barriers to pursue mechanical engineering at Trine University, emerging as a driven student-athlete committed to giving back to Northeast Indiana.
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Donna Marie & Mary Hughes, DANNAR

Small Team, Big Impact: How DANNAR Empowers Interns

DANNAR’s collaboration with work-based learning programs equips high school students with real-world experience in advanced manufacturing, building essential skills and strengthening ties between education and industry.
Learn More
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Merideth Hughes, Milestone & Amy Henningfield, Superior Construction

Paving the Way: How Women IN Roads Is Transforming the Future of Construction

Women IN Roads is empowering young women to pursue careers in construction through mentorship, education and hands-on experiences.
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Andy Cassler, The Heritage Group

The Heritage Group Offers Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Early-in-Career Growth

The Heritage Group is cultivating a long-term talent pipeline by offering high school students hands-on work-based learning experiences, mentorship, and STEM-focused career exploration programs.
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Fort Wayne Community Schools Partner With Parkview Health to Give Students Hands-On Experience in Healthcare

Fort Wayne Community Schools partnered with Parkview Health to give middle school students hands-on healthcare career exploration through mobile simulations and interactive career fairs.
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Get Inspired – Get Involved

Ascend Indiana Welcomes Three New Members to its Board of Directors

01.07.2026
Ascend added three new board members to strengthen its workforce development mission across Indiana.

From College Classrooms to Career Pathways: What Workforce Pell Means for Indiana’s Talent Future

12.05.2025
The Workforce Pell expansion will open doors for more Hoosiers to earn short-term credentials that lead directly to in-demand jobs, strengthening Indiana’s talent pipeline and future economy.

Regional Coalition Embraces Learn More Earn More Strategy to Close Educational Gaps and Invites Support for Implementation

12.04.2025
More than 265 regional partners gathered to launch the Learn More, Earn More coalition, moving from planning to action on a coordinated strategy to expand educational access, strengthen learner supports, and build a skilled talent pipeline for northeast Indiana.

Creating Regional Strength: The Don Wood Foundation’s Role in Fort Wayne’s Economy

11.18.2025
The Don Wood Foundation is transforming Northeast Indiana’s economy by uniting education, industry and community to build a skilled workforce and drive regional prosperity.

Empowering Indiana’s Next Generation of Talent

11.18.2025
With support from the Questa Education Foundation, Zander Huss overcame financial barriers to pursue mechanical engineering at Trine University, emerging as a driven student-athlete committed to giving back to Northeast Indiana.

12 Regional Groups to be Awarded $1.2 Million for New Statewide Career Apprenticeship Initiative

10.30.2025
12 regional organizations across Indiana have been awarded $1.2 million in grants to launch the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway (INCAP), a statewide initiative preparing students for high-demand careers through paid, year-round apprenticeships starting in 2026.

No More Meetings for the Sake of Meeting: Moving Workforce Development from Talk to Action

10.21.2025
After years of meaningful conversations about workforce challenges, Ascend President and CEO Brad Rhorer has noticed a pattern: we talk about the problems more than we move through them.

From Manufacturing to Higher Education — Celebrating Chris Lowery’s Legacy

10.10.2025
Chris Lowery leaves a legacy of bold leadership, reshaping Indiana’s higher education with the HOPE Agenda and a focus on workforce relevance.

5 Things We’re Hearing from Educators and Employers About Work-Based Learning

09.29.2025
Work-based learning is gaining momentum as educators innovate beyond traditional internships, employers embrace youth talent pipelines and stakeholders push for scalable, well-funded, and standardized approaches that expand access for all students.

Small Team, Big Impact: How DANNAR Empowers Interns

09.29.2025
DANNAR’s collaboration with work-based learning programs equips high school students with real-world experience in advanced manufacturing, building essential skills and strengthening ties between education and industry.
View All

Empowering
Indiana's
Modern
Workforce

Choose Indiana

Empowering
Indiana's
Modern
Workforce

Choose Indiana

Empowering
Indiana's
Modern
Workforce

Choose Indiana

Empowering
Indiana's
Modern
Workforce

Choose Indiana

Central Intermediaries

Aspire Johnson County

Supports work-based learning by linking schools and more than 165 local employers to create hands-on opportunities that help students explore and pursue regional career pathways.
Counties Served: Johnson
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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East Central Educational Service Center (ECESC)

Provides regional coordination, tools, and training to help schools implement consistent and high-quality work-based learning programs.
Counties Served: Bartholomew, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hancock, Henry, Johnson, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Union, Wayne
Supporting: Employers
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Eastern Indiana Works (EIW)

Engages employers, offers workforce insights, and partners with schools to expand student access to work-based learning experiences.
Counties Served: Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Henry, Jay, Randolph, Rush, Union, Wayne
Supporting: Employers
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EmployIndy

Develops career-connected learning systems in Marion County by coordinating employer engagement, work-based learning programming, and youth career pathways.
Counties Served: Marion
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce

Serves as a bridge between businesses and schools to promote internships, employer partnerships, and hands-on learning opportunities.
Counties Served: Delaware
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Hendricks College Network (HCN)

Connects schools, employers, and community partners—facilitating ongoing collaborations, coordinating a range of employer involvement opportunities, and providing support to help schools track and manage work-based learning experiences.
Counties Served: Hendricks
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Invested

Works with employers and schools to connect schools and students to employers offering high-quality work-based learning experiences.
Counties Served: Hamilton
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce

Leads countywide coordination of work-based learning by unifying schools, employers, and partners to streamline student placements and employer onboarding.
Counties Served: Wayne
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Southern Intermediaries

Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce

Connects local employers with schools to encourage internships, career exploration, and collaborative work-based learning initiatives.
Counties Served: Monroe
Supporting: Employers
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Contact

Hub 19

Connects high school students and schools with local employers through career exploration, internships, and hands-on work-based learning experiences.
Counties Served: Dubois
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI)

Helps schools and employers understand evolving requirements, building partner capacity, fostering regional connections, and coordinating programs that offer students meaningful career-aligned experiences.
Counties Served: Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, Washington
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Southern Indiana Education Center (SIEC)

Supports educators through training, resources, and collaboration structures that help schools and employers organize work-based learning.
Counties Served: Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Greene, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Sullivan, Vanderburgh, Warrick
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Southern Indiana Works (SIW, Workforce Region 10)

Engages employers and develops talent initiatives that connect students to meaningful work experiences aligned with regional workforce needs.
Counties Served: Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Scott, Washington
Supporting: Employers
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Southwest Indiana Workforce Board (SWIN)

Partners with businesses and schools to expand student access to industry-aligned work-based learning programs.
Counties Served: Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick
Supporting: Employers
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Contact

Northern Intermediaries

Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI)

Coordinates employer relationships, talent programs, and school partnerships to strengthen work-based learning throughout Northwest Indiana.
Counties Served: Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Starke
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Grow Allen

Supports work-based learning by coordinating student internships and work-based tours, connecting schools with local businesses, and partnering with community organizations to expand training pathways while collaboratively helping partners strengthen their work-based learning efforts.
Counties Served: Allen
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Horizon Education Alliance (HEA)

Partners with schools and employers to provide high school students with career exploration and hands-on work-based learning opportunities.
Counties Served: Elkhart
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

Northeast Indiana Workforce Board (NEINW)

Supports regional talent pipelines by linking businesses with schools and promoting work-based learning as part of workforce development.
Counties Served: Adams, Allen, Grant, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, Whitley
Supporting: Employers
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Contact

Region 8 Education Service Center of Northeast Indiana (R8ESC)

Provides training, coordination, data support, and shared tools to help schools implement and scale consistent work-based learning practices across the region.
Counties Served: Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Grant, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, Madison, Miami, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, Whitley
Supporting: Schools
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Contact

South Bend Regional Chamber

Coordinates employer partnerships, student programming, and large-scale work-based learning initiatives to connect youth with regional career pathways.
Counties Served: St. Joseph
Supporting: Employers, Schools
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Contact

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Workforce Council

Statewide network of employers solving workforce challenges

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Intermediaries

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Indiana workforce data and insights

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