IUPUI is fulfilling the promise to our students and the community by preparing students for a lifetime of success, while helping the Indiana workforce to thrive by building a talent pipeline for the careers of tomorrow.
Numerous campus resources – in collaboration with our community partners – focus on the preparation of students for success in the real world. Three shining examples are: the Informatics Diversity-Enhanced Workforce (iDEW) program, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) Community Corps program and Splunk® IT industry training at Kinney Group, Inc. These programs, and many more, connect talented students, beginning in high school, with Indiana businesses, organizations, leaders and beyond to prepare them for high demand jobs of the future.
High School Students Prepare for Promising Futures in Technology through ‘iDEW’
High school students are introduced to a career in technology even before they reach college through the Informatics Diversity-Enhanced Workforce (iDEW) program, an IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI workforce development initiative. This program received national recognition in 2016 with a US2020 STEM Mentoring Award for Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships presented at the White House.
iDEW began with an approach by JP Morgan Chase inquiring about how they could “work together to address workforce needs and to prepare young underrepresented populations for promising futures through lucrative careers in technology.”
This program is getting a head of the current workforce’s skills gap by building a technology talent pipeline in Indiana. iDEW brings together partners like JPMorgan Chase, IUPUI, high schools, the community and industry professionals to train underrepresented populations in Indianapolis high schools for in demand careers in technology.
“iDEW is bridging the gap between high school, college and the industry,” said James Lyst, lecturer at IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI.
Through a “wraparound” approach, students have access to skills workshops, internships, professional certifications, campus visits and tech company visits. iDEW students finish high school with in-demand IT certifications, as well as a dual college credit at the IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI.
The program maintains contact and engagement with these students over many years. “Personal interaction with the students over a sustained period of time is the key to making this program a success—repeated reinforcement and enrichment,” said Mathew Palakal, executive associate dean at the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, and program director for iDEW.
A second-year iDEW student from Arsenal Technical High School said, “I want to thank you guys for all the help you gave us in seeing our imaginations put to life on the screen… I like it so much that I do it outside of school and work on my own projects. So thank you for inspiring me to get out of my comfort zone and to help find a passion I will have for the rest of my years.”
SPEA IUPUI Students Prepare to be the Next Generation of Civic Leaders
A campus program that connects IUPUI students to the real world is the new Community Corps program, launched in 2017 by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. This program partners with community nonprofit, faith-based, and public organizations to prepare students to be the next generation of civic leaders.
“SPEA remains committed to serving our stakeholders and the community by creating opportunities to help our students connect classroom instruction to real world problems,” said Marshawn Wolley, SPEA director of community engagement and strategic initiatives.
The first course in the program, Indy Community Development Network, gives students an introduction to many of the tools utilized in community development. Through this course, students are given the chance to discover how to turn their passion of making an impact in the community into a career.
Students are not only learning community development strategies in the classroom, but they also get hands on experience in the community and meet Indianapolis leaders who are nationally recognized as well.
SPEA students who participate in the Indy Community Development Network course are eligible to compete for one of three $5,000 PNC Community Development Fellowships. Through this fellowship, students will receive a paid internship at an organization that will allow them to have maximum impact on community development initiatives in Indianapolis.
IUPUI Juniors and Seniors Receive Training in Technology Industry Market-Leading Platform, Splunk®
IUPUI upper level students from the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI and the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI are receiving IT Industry training at Kinney Group, a growing Indianapolis-based data center and solutions provider that designs, builds and integrates IT infrastructure solutions for government agencies and businesses.
Kinney Group reached out to IUPUI to provide students training in Splunk®, the market-leading platform that powers operational intelligence. This training is filling a skills gap identified by the Kinney Group for tech professionals skilled in use, setup, education and customer training.
“This class gives the students a chance to see the real world and meet people who are already successful in the industry,” said Michael Simko, course instructor. “It gives them a heads up to see if this is what they really want to do as a job and go right out into it.”
Upon successful completion of the course, some students will have hiring opportunities with Kinney Group.
These are just a few of the IUPUI programs that are reaching students along a continuum of high school, college and beyond to ensure success after graduation and into the real world. IUPUI values community partnerships because they build a pipeline of diverse talent that will stay in Indiana and contribute to a thriving workforce in the future.
For more information about partnering with IUPUI, please contact the Office of Community Engagement at engage@iupui.edu, or call (317) 274-7400.
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