Last week, dozens of students from Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) George Washington and Arsenal Tech High Schools students delved into the world of computer science career pathways with guidance from industry experts as part of the debut of a collaboration between Infosys, IPS and TechPoint. 

Students had an immersive day exploring various cutting-edge tech domains including generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and prompt engineering to the metaverse, virtual reality, cybersecurity and cloud computing. As the inaugural classes to take part in Careers in Tech Day, they gained insights into burgeoning areas of the tech sector and perhaps a leg up in entering those fields. 

The partnership among IPS, TechPoint, and Infosys is designed to enlighten students about diverse career paths available after graduation. Arsenal Tech’s Computer Science teacher, Tinya Fisher, emphasized the significance of such events, noting how they link classroom learning to real-world applications and give students a glimpse into potential future career opportunities. 

“Events like this are critical, as they help our students connect what they do in the classroom to real-world experiences,” she said. 

Damian Juarez-Martinez, a sophomore from Fisher’s class, found the augmented reality/virtual reality session intriguing, considering it as a potential career path.  

“The AR/VR breakout session was very interesting and something that I would consider as a future career,” he said.  

Demario Perry said that before the event, he hadn’t realized the breadth of job opportunities within the tech sector. 

“Technology has a lot more to it than I knew,” he said.  

Central Indiana currently faces a skills gap in filling tech-related job vacancies, mirroring a nationwide trend. The region’s increasing demand for tech talent is pivotal due to digital transformation and automation across multiple sectors, including advanced manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, life sciences, and logistics, among others. As Indiana’s tech landscape continues to evolve, expertise in emerging technologies like intelligent systems, cloud platforms, interconnected networks, and big data is becoming increasingly important. 

Christine Stiles, Infosys’ senior principal for education, training and assessment in North America, said the tech ecosystem must provide ways for the next generation to learn about the vast expanse of technology and the multitude of careers within it.  

“We have a responsibility to open doors and minds of those who will carry on after us, and to exemplify how to do the same for future generations,” she said. “Anything is possible if your mind’s eye can see it and believes it.” 

We at IPS look forward to the next iteration of Careers in Tech Day at Infosys and are grateful for this collaboration.  We encourage other school systems and organizations to explore Infosys’ Springboard platform and use it to enhance Hoosiers’ digital skills. The digital learning and reskilling program is helping close the skills gap in the U.S. and across the world and is a wonderful resource right here in our back yard. 

We’re very excited about the incredible opportunities it offers to Indianapolis youth.

Learn more about the Infosys Springboard USA Digital Academy.