Building a nursing pipeline and other talent development best practices.

Indiana Center for Nursing Finds Answers to Nursing Workforce Shortage

Cindy Adams has been in the nursing profession for more than 40 years, and throughout her career there has been a steady drumbeat of concern surrounding the impending nursing shortage. The concern has only worsened over the years, and in Indiana there will be an additional 5,000 nursing jobs to fill by 2030, up from the initial estimate of 3,000.

“The pandemic came and went and kind of wreaked havoc on the nursing workforce. Anywhere between 300,000 – 500,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic. It was a big hit to the nursing workforce at a time when we were expecting a substantial shortage of about a million nurses nationwide by 2030 anyway,” says Adams, chief nursing officer of Ascension St. Vincent and Indiana Center for Nursing (ICN) board member.

Learn more about how ICN is addressing the nursing workforce shortage.

National Youth Apprenticeship Summit Key Takeaways

CareerWise USA and the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) hosted the National Youth Apprenticeship Summit in Indianapolis last week and Ascend Indiana was honored to play a role in welcoming youth apprenticeship professionals from across the nation.

More than 300 attendees heard why and how Indiana employers are engaging to scale youth apprenticeship and learned how our state’s K-12, postsecondary and employer partners are changing systems and structures to ensure students can fully benefit from apprenticeship experiences.

View several recurring themes the Ascend team took away from the summit.

Career Fairs = Insights from Jobseekers

College career fairs are back in full swing and it’s the perfect setting for Ascend’s Career Mentors to meet face-to-face with early-in career Hoosiers seeking internship or career opportunities. Through our collaborations with 23 Indiana colleges and universities, our Career Mentors visit college campuses, share details about the benefits of a career with Indiana employers and listen to what’s on the minds of college students.

See some of the common themes and questions our Career Mentors hear from students.

President and CEO Letter

Funding Available to Help Employers Become Co-creators of Talent

The momentum in Indiana for scaling work-based learning is real. Youth apprenticeship took center stage last week at the National Youth Apprenticeship Summit in Indianapolis. A consortium of nearly 200 Indiana leaders released the iLab strategic plan, outlining key steps to make available apprenticeship opportunities for Hoosier students. And work-based learning is a hallmark of the Indiana Department of Education’s high school redesign proposal.

There is significant interest among high school students to participate in work-based learning experiences, and data show that college students who have internships are less likely to be underemployed. The benefits for students are undisputed.

Click here to read how employers can become more active participants in work-based learning experiences for high schoolers.

CEMETS iLab Indiana Releases New Plan to Address Indiana's Talent Shortages

CEMETS iLab Indiana, a coalition of nearly 200 Hoosier leaders, release?a plan?in mid-September for an innovative, new way for Hoosiers to access education and training that will prepare them for in-demand careers and help solve the state’s mounting workforce shortages. Read the press release about the strategic plan and access the executive summary for more information.??

The CEMETS iLab announcement garnered attention in the media, including from the following news outlets.

Ascend In The News

Ascend Indiana has formed collaborations with Martin University and the University of Indianapolis to connect more students with good and promising career opportunities in Indiana through the Ascend Network. Students will be able to connect with Indiana jobs and internships that match their skill sets and interests and receive increased career guidance and job search support.