INDIANAPOLIS — TechPoint today announced the first small business recipient of an apprenticeship initiative designed to bring more Black and Brown Hoosiers into the Indiana tech sector. Video Game Palooza will receive $18,000 of the funds received through the African American Quality of Life Initiative (AAQLI) to hire three apprentices this year, who will be positioned for full time jobs Video Game Palooza and its sister companies at the completion of their year-long training and apprenticeship program.

“Video Game Palooza taps into an area that is exciting and interesting to our youth – gaming – tapping into their natural passion for playing and making games to teach the technical skills they’ll need to succeed as adults. It’s a brilliant approach, and we’re very pleased to have them add the first small business apprentices under this program,” said TechPoint Senior Vice President, Talent, Strategy and Partnerships Dennis Trinkle.

Training and coaches for the apprenticeship program will be provided by Mission41K partner Hope Training Academy, a part of Video Game Palooza, which operates both apprenticeship and short-term training programs to support historically disadvantaged Hoosiers.

"Like most other companies, we have been challenged by the global tech talent shortage, and programs like this are key to overcoming it,” said Video Game Palooza’s CEO and Co-Founder Cara Baretto. “We’re looking forward to leading the charge and showing how beneficial investing in great people is both for them and for the companies willing to invest in them.”

Allegion has also begun working with the AAQLI-funded initiative and has hired its first apprentice through this initiative while working with New Apprenticeship as its training partner.

“Allegion has always been one of the first Indiana tech companies to step up when we’ve proposed new ways to improve the Indiana tech sector, and we’re very pleased to have them involved as well,” said TechPoint Senior Vice President, Talent, Strategy, and Partnerships Dennis Trinkle.

Other companies ready to hire apprentices and receive financial help to do so should TechPoint’s Talent Program Manager Malik Laffoon at this link. Prospective apprentices should request more information here.

Funding for the apprenticeship support comes from a two-year, $300,000 grant from the AAQLI, which is administered by TechPoint, InnoPower and Sagamore Institute. The program offers tech-related adult apprenticeship opportunities to low-income, central Indiana Black and Brown men and women. Job roles will include areas of IT service, quality assurance, project management and field service.

Trinkle said adult apprenticeships are a proven way to help people find lifelong, meaningful careers. Apprentices get on-the-job training and additional programming that helps them succeed in the workforce. Apprentices have higher one-year and five-year retention rates than employees hired through traditional pipelines.

InnoPower Founder and CEO Emil Ekiyor said the two-year pilot program is “groundbreaking” for Indiana’s Black community. InnoPower is a community development organization that works to accelerate upward mobility opportunities for Black Hoosiers.

“Our community is rich with people with the ability to succeed in tech careers, but too few of them have the resources or opportunities to enter the field,” Ekiyor said. “This changes that and could have profound impact for generations to come.”

Under the program, companies hire apprentices and provide on-the-job training and educational opportunities to help them enter into and grow their tech careers. The adult apprenticeship program is an action step related to InnoPower’s work with TechPoint’s Mission41K effort, which seeks to inclusively add 41,000 new tech workers to the state by 2030 by expanding traditional and developing new pathways for Hoosiers to enter the tech sector. It prioritizes skills-based hiring, provides more inclusive pathways into tech roles for significantly more people, and puts a focus on apprenticeships as a viable path to a successful and lucrative career in tech.

Under the Mission41K umbrella, TechPoint works with key partners throughout the state as it seeks to meet demand for tech workers.

The IAAQLI is a comprehensive effort funded by a $100 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to the National Urban League. Administered by the National Urban League, the Indianapolis Urban League and the African American Coalition of Indianapolis, the initiative is designed to build collaborations and partnerships to elevate the quality of life of African Americans in Indianapolis/Marion County.

Tech jobs offer high salaries, stability and strong advancement pathways. Despite recent efforts to increase diversity throughout the industry, tech in Indiana and throughout the U.S. remains predominantly white and male. For example, research shows Black workers comprise just seven percent of the Indiana tech workforce, while making up 10 percent of the overall Indiana workforce. Only 5 percent of the software developers in Central Indiana are Black.

More than 184,000 Hoosiers now work in tech and tech-enabled roles, filling one out of every 10 jobs in Indiana. For every 10,000 new tech workers added to the Indiana workforce, $698 million in new annual wages are generated and $56.9 million in state and local tax revenues are gained, per TechPoint’s 2023 Workforce Report.

-30-

About TechPoint: TechPoint, is the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s digital innovation economy and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on working with public, private and industry partners to expand tech talent pipeline, enhance resource connectivity for enterprise organizations and startups alike, and elevate the industry by activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.  Media contact: Cheryl Reed: cheryl@techpoint.org

About Video Game Palooza: Video Game Palooza is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals by harnessing the educational and cultural potential of video games. The company seeks to inspire and facilitate personal transformations through technology and experiential learning, connecting students' passions in tech and gaming to career pathways, education, and certification. Through its Charity Arcade and other programs, the company offers unique opportunities for individuals to engage deeply with their interests, transforming their passions into skills and career opportunities. The company seeks to create a world where technology and entertainment drive progress, enrich lives, and open new doors to personal and professional growth. Hope Training Academy, a part of Video Game Palooza, is a nonprofit training provider dedicated to helping end the cycle of poverty and financial insecurity for individuals by providing training, support, and high-demand Information Technology credentials, leading to career attainment in rapidly growing, technology fields.

About InnoPower: InnoPower is a 501(c)(3) community development organization that works with communities and stakeholders to create capacity-building opportunities for underrepresented ecosystems, businesses and professionals in education, workforce development and entrepreneurship. It leverages seed-stage impact investing to drive innovation and accelerate economic productivity in Black communities in Indiana and Sub-Saharan Africa. InnoPower LLC also invests in businesses and real estate that helps generate wealth in and for Black Communities. For more information, please visit https://InnoPowerindy.com/.

About Sagamore Institute: Sagamore Institute is an action-oriented think tank that builds and implements solutions to society’s biggest problems. Unlike other think tanks that pay more attention to policy and its impact on politics, Sagamore combines research with entrepreneurial innovations and impact investing to advance practical and sustainable solutions. What makes Sagamore unique is its focus on constructive action in support of individual prosperity and community renewal. Visit www.SagamoreInstitute.org.

About the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative: The National Urban League, the Indianapolis Urban League and the African American Coalition of Indianapolis are the partner organizations implementing the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative (IAAQLI.) Funded through a $100 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, the IAAQLI is mobilizing African American resources while also building collaborations and partnerships to elevate the quality of life of African Americans in Indianapolis/Marion County.