Local School Corporations Receive Employability Skills Grant

The grants will help students develop skills that prepare them to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s workforce.

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) today awarded 58 schools across 40 counties with $10 million in Employability Skills Innovation and Implementation Grant funding.

The grants will help students develop in-demand employability skills that prepare them to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s workforce.

Five local school corporations were among the grant recipients.

As part of their grant proposals, schools detailed how they will leverage these funds to help student showcase proficiency in Indiana Employability Skills and how they will work with partners to help blur the lines between pre-K-12, higher education and workforce through career exploration, engagement, and experiences.

“For years, as a state and a country, we have relied almost wholly on a single test score to best determine student and school progress,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “While we know that academic mastery is essential to providing a strong foundation for a student’s future success, there are a number of other characteristics that also matter. This includes making sure students are equipped with skills like the ability to respectfully communicate and collaborate with others. The schools receiving this grant will be on the cutting edge of determining how best to measure these important skills, not just through an assessment, but through experiences. Congratulations to all of the awardees who are helping to lead this educational progress in understanding how skill development can be measured across Indiana.”

A complete list of grant recipients is available here.