On Thursday, August 22nd, the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet announced nearly $1 million in career coaching planning and implementation grants. Among the awardees were the John Boner Neighborhood Centers, awarded a $10,000 planning grant, and Indianapolis Public Schools, awarded a $503,854.95 implementation grant. Indianapolis Public Schools is one of the ten implementation partners for the IndyEast Promise Zone. These grants were the only two awarded in Indianapolis and will support the growth of educational opportunities on the Near Eastside. The Boner Center will partner with Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School, Ivy Tech Community College, and Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation (ICRF) to create a comprehensive system for local career coaching on the Near Eastside. In addition to working with these partners, the Boner Center will look to include educational institutions, employers, and community organizations in the planning and implementation processes in order to promote a collective impact model. The process of career coaching will likely focus on sharing local, state, and national career information, understanding the educational requirements for various careers and connecting people with learning opportunities that will help them start or advance their careers. Starting with planning for a career coaching strategy will allow the Boner Center and its partners to thoughtfully layout the next steps in order to best serve the community. This process aligns with Promise Zone Learn IndyEast and Work IndyEast goals, and complements other initiatives that are pushing for education and career development in the Near Eastside community. Empowering neighbors to pursue a wide range of careers so that they can support themselves and their families is key to the development of the Near Eastside and will allow growth to continue for everyone who lives and works in the area.
