Last month, Ascend Indiana and EmployIndy launched “Untapped: Connecting Employers to Indy Talent,” an interactive discussion focused on work-based learning (WBL) as a proven strategy to build a robust talent pipeline. The event was hosted by the Indy Chamber at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The event kicked off with a panel discussion with Ascend President and CEO Brad Rhorer, EmployIndy President and CEO Marie Mackintosh, Arcamed President and CEO Jon Desalvo, Indianapolis Airport Authority Senior Director of Human Resources (Executive Vice President) Rachel Stevens and Indy Chamber Chief Talent & Marketing Officer Blaine Zimmerman. Three rotating breakout sessions followed, with discussions about WBL program best practices, tools for implementation and successful implementation strategies.

In total, 87 employers attended the event. A few meaningful takeaways they received were that hope is not a strategy, supporting apprentices means teaching the basics of being a professional and to start small and allow your WBL programs to grow with time. Many also noted they wanted to hear more about K-12 partnerships and paths and programming for different audiences in future events.