Ivy Tech Community College Northeast has received a $43,000 grant from Lincoln Financial Foundation to aid graduates in specific programs in landing a job upon graduation through The Employer Student Connection Initiative.

The grant allows Career Services to expand its employer connection initiative from one to seven academic programs, which now includes:

• Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (or HVAC)
• Construction Technology
• Industrial Technology
• Design Technology
• Health Care Support
• Business Administration
• Office Administration

Students in these academic programs have the opportunity to participate in an employer networking panel. HVAC previously was the sole program involved in the initiative, which saw a 100 percent success rate in helping students get jobs or paid internships.

At the start of their final year of classes, students will meet with their program’s employee panel to learn about the hard and soft skills necessary for the workforce. Throughout the year, Career Services will conduct workshops and presentations to aid in skills including resume preparation, professional dress, and job searches. The following semester, the panel will review students’ resumes and discuss job openings.

The grant will also fund two student workers for 20-hour-a-week shifts to help in managing and tracking the success of students involved in the initiative, which is scheduled to run throughout 2014 and serve 500 students in northeast Indiana.