Bloomington Leader

Ivy Tech Community College and TechPoint to provide innovative IT training to Hoosiers and grow Indiana’s tech workforce     

Ivy Tech Community College and TechPoint today announced a partnership that will support a statewide strategy designed to solidify the state’s reputation as a vibrant tech hub. The collaboration provides career pathways for Hoosiers that meet the needs of employers for tech and tech-reliant talent through Ivy Tech’s Ivy+ IT Academy and supports TechPoint’s Mission41K goal of cultivating the next generation of tech leaders over the next seven years.        

In October 2022, Ivy Tech announced the IT Academy would launch this year, offering students the most advanced and innovative way to get in-demand IT training and skills quickly. IT Academy offers Indiana employers a “one-stop shop” for employees who need training with the largest variety of information technologies and tools offered anywhere. Also in 2022, TechPoint brought together nearly 200 public, private, academic, and community leaders to launch Mission41K, a bold collaborative movement to inclusively grow the state’s tech workforce to meet the demands of tech employers who see Indiana as their next home base.      

“Ivy Tech has more partnerships with the world’s largest tech companies than any other college or university in the country,” said Ivy Tech Chief Information Officer, Matthew Etchison. “This is just one of many reasons that the Ivy+ IT Academy is uniquely positioned to offer the very best and most affordable IT bootcamps in Indiana. TechPoint and Ivy Tech are partnering to ensure more Hoosiers get to rapidly skill up and launch their IT careers.”               

Ivy Tech and TechPoint’s goals of a focused, digital workforce partnership support existing statewide initiatives, including Next-Level programs of study and adult apprenticeships. In addition to their relationships with some of the biggest tech companies in the world, the partnership will seek to accelerate learning and provide rapid upskilling to Indiana students through the most thorough and comprehensive IT portfolio training anywhere.       

Dennis Trinkle, TechPoint’s senior vice president of talent, strategy and partnerships, said Ivy+ IT Academy will play an essential role in meeting TechPoint’s Mission41K goal by preparing Hoosiers for careers that provide a family-supporting wage and strong career pathways.  

“Indiana’s employers across all sectors need more tech-skilled workers, and Ivy Tech has strong partnerships, a broad footprint and excellent programs planned to train individuals for tech and tech-related roles,” Trinkle said. “We highly value all they bring to the table.”      

Under the partnership, TechPoint will help raise awareness of the Ivy+ IT Academy. This will include surveying Hoosier companies to determine the most in-demand tech jobs and developing work and learn opportunities in support of next-level programs. The partnership will support dual enrollment, modern youth apprenticeship, and adult apprenticeship, and the collaboration will also aim to align Ivy+ Academy pathways to TechPoint modern youth and adult apprenticeship programs that will drive participant recruitment, support adjunct faculty hiring, and help market Academy programs to prospective faculty and students.   

Ivy Tech currently has more than 6,000 students per year in the School of IT in degree-granting technology programs. For more information on the partnership or to enroll in the Ivy+ IT Academy, click here.    

Original source can be found here.