Labor Department awards $5M to Ivy Tech for apprenticeship expansion

Ivy Tech Community College said Tuesday that it has received a nearly $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to help the school with its Expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs project. ERAP helps to promote apprenticeships as a viable, postsecondary education-to-career option.

It also encourages employers to use apprenticeships as a recruitment, training, and retention strategy.

While apprenticeships are available for many tech-related industries, the new funding specifically targets the growing electric vehicle industry, including EV manufacturing and infrastructure.

“The Expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs project offers Hoosiers across our state with a clear pathway to a high-wage, high demand job,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President of Ivy Tech. “As Indiana’s workforce engine, we look forward to leveraging the proven apprentice model across a wide range of occupations supporting more Indiana employers and improving Hoosier prosperity.”

The ERAP project supports Hoosiers of varying skill and education levels, including those with high school diplomas, those wanting to increase their skills or lack certification, and those who are unemployed or are considered underrepresented populations.