Hamilton County Reporter

Ivy Tech Community College is partnering with high schools in Hamilton County to offer Career and Technical Education Pathways to students. Participating schools include: Fishers High School, Hamilton Southeastern High School, Eman School, Options Charter School-Noblesville, Options Charter School-Carmel and Westfield High School

Students in the program will attend high school in the morning and take classes at Ivy Tech Hamilton County in Noblesville in the afternoon. Over the course of one year, students can earn 12 to 13 college credits, which count toward a Core 40 or high school Honors Diploma and can be transferred to an associate or bachelor’s degree. Students can also earn industry recognized certifications. The program is free of cost to students.

The Duke Energy Foundation directed a $75,000 grant to Ivy Tech Community College to help create these Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways. The grant is providing scholarships for students in Hamilton County to pursue higher education and training in STEM programs at Ivy Tech. In addition to scholarships, the grant covers the costs of books and supplies, industry certification assessments, career readiness activities, and training for current Ivy Tech and high school STEM teachers in Hamilton County.

“We are grateful to Duke Energy Foundation for partnering with us to support this important initiative in Hamilton County,” said Dr. Kathleen Lee, chancellor of Ivy Tech Central Indiana. “This is another example of how Ivy Tech is making strategic efforts to align with the regional workforce. Through this initiative we are partnering with schools and organizations to prepare students for in-demand jobs in key industries including construction, information technology and advanced manufacturing.”

Specific STEM programs that Ivy Tech will offer these students include Computing and Informatics, Visual Communications and Building Construction Technology. Students start classes at Ivy Tech Hamilton County today, Aug. 10.