Congratulations to Martinsville High School’s Advanced Manufacturing Program!
The Indiana Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) has awarded 9 high schools with an Education Readiness Grant. This grant program supports recipients in offering CTE programs that prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing and information technology. Launched in partnership with Conexus Indiana, the grant is in its second year. This year’s grant incorporated expert input from TechPoint to broaden assistance to information technology CTE programs with industry employer needs front-of-mind.
The OCTE awarded a total of $749,000. Grant recipients will use the funding to purchase new and innovative technologies and equipment identified in their applications as they prepare to implement programs in the 2023-2024 school year. The 2023 Education Readiness Grant recipients are listed below:
Advanced Manufacturing:
- Middlebury Community School Corporation (Northridge High School) – $70,000
- Martinsville High School – $100,000
- Pike Career and STEM Center – $90,000
- Mitchell Community Schools – $100,000
- New Palestine High School – $100,000
Information Technology:
- Indianapolis Public Schools – $75,000
- Mississinewa High School – $71,000
- Northwest Allen County Schools (Carroll High School) – $64,000
- Franklin Township High School – $79,000
In addition to providing funding for secondary schools to offer new CTE programs, Education Readiness Grants are aimed at strengthening partnerships between industry and local schools. Schools using these grants must partner with a local employer to provide students with a work-based learning experience that directly complements their CTE pathway in advanced manufacturing or information technology. These intentional partnerships are aimed at recruiting more students into these high-demand fields and graduating job-ready students with experience and credentials needed by local employers.
Education Readiness Grants complement Next Level Programs of Study (NLPS), Indiana’s redesign of secondary career and technical education courses which launched this school year. Grant recipients were required to be implementing or expanding one of 4 eligible programs of study in the advanced manufacturing and information technology sectors. All 65 NLPS programs are designed to ensure CTE students have the opportunity to earn dual credits, obtain postsecondary credentials, and engage in work-based learning experiences while in high school.
Grant recipients will participate in regular convenings over the course of the grant cycle with OCTE staff and industry experts from Conexus and TechPoint to gain insights and strategies on effectively implementing their selected program of study. The ongoing implementation efforts of 2022 grant recipients will also inform this year’s cohort.