April 25, 2023

The numbers are in and 473 people participated in our gap asset analysis. Of this incredible number, 160 are YOU: Teachers, CTE staff, talent development, counselors, executives, and parents, who took the time to help us explore our region’s assets and examine the barriers that you face helping students travel pathways to healthcare careers. Check out the chart further down for the breakdown.  

 As the school year winds down this news update will shift to a summer series exploring the promising practices and success stories of our region’s healthcare education partners and programs. We’ll also highlight assets you may not know about, and barriers we might collectively conquer.  

Thank you all for sharing your time and thoughtful feedback, and a big round of applause to Inspire Success and Ben Carter, who listened, advised, and will soon be reporting on all of the information.  

This update includes detailed information on registered apprenticeships through Northeast Indiana Works, J. Kruse in the news, big dollars and quick turnaround funding for programs and students, and your last chance to sign up students for FREE summer health science camp.   

 EVENTS:  

• Curious about apprenticeships? – Liz Burkhead of Northeast Indiana Works has developed flyers for both employers and educators, featuring information about work-based learning and apprenticeships. Northeast Indiana Works is an apprenticeship intermediary through the Department of Labor, and as such is ready to help businesses successfully create, launch, and expand apprenticeship programs as well as connect with local education corporations. Reach Liz here to learn more.  
• Pathway Partners in the News – The February issue of IN Chamber’s BizVoice highlights the excellent work of two of our partners, The Pursuit Insititute and the J. Kruse Education Center. Check out the cover story on work-based learning relationships with Carrie Lively of The Pursuit Institute and this article on the innovative approach to career exploration John Kruse and Matt Toth are taking at JKEC.  
• IUSM Summer Health Sciences Camp – This FREE camp runs June 5^th through 9^th, from 9am to noon, and offers rising high school juniors and seniors lots of hands-on opportunities to experience a variety of healthcare fields. Application deadline is extended to April 30^th, and there are very limited openings left. Here’s the link to apply.   

  FUNDING:  

• AJA Foundation has funded many education pathway projects,  has a rolling deadline.  https://www.ajafoundation.org/about-us/    
• Wells Fargo May 1 deadline.  These grants fund a variety of projects, have fairly simple applications, and you can apply for multiple funds. Be sure to look at the Baade, Campbell Beyer, Bowker, Guynn, Hayner, Kuhne, McMillen, Smyser, and Zollner opportunities.  https://www.wellsfargo.com/private-foundations/search-results/#searchtab   
• AHEC Funds Student Travel - The deadline to apply for travel grants has been extended to May 8^th. Health Professions college students in Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, and Whitley counties can use this link to apply for funds.  
• Workforce Pathways for Youth – The Department of Labor has $15 million available for career exploration, on the job experience, including internships, seasonal and year-round employment, pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships. May 19^th deadline, but if you aren’t yet registered on Grants.gov, give yourself extra time to set that up. Fantastic partnering opportunity!