The Month of May in Indy is synonymous with Indy 500 race excitement, but at TechPoint, it means we are about to expect 400+ college students, recent grads and career changers who are choosing Indianapolis to launch their tech careers.

Since 2014, TechPoint has focused on providing a talent pipeline of entry level tech and business-skilled talent to Indiana-based tech and tech-enabled companies. Talent is a key ingredient any tech ecosystem needs to thrive, and Indiana’s growing business climate has set a pace of thousands of jobs that need to be filled.

TechPoint’s first talent program, Xtern, is celebrating its fifth year of operation. A total of 150 college juniors will live in Indianapolis for 10 weeks, working in tech and tech-enabled companies as software developers, UX designers, product managers and related roles. Described as the “ultimate tech internship experience,” Xtern builds a community of students who work, live and play together in Indianapolis through professional development, networking, social engagement and civic impact that cements their interest in Indianapolis as a viable option after graduation. Students live on-campus at IUPUI, simulating an environment similar to their semester schedules where they can engage further with their peers.

“I’ve seen Xtern grow since the beginning, and now we are starting to track the retainment of bringing these rising college juniors to Indy for the best summer tech internship experience,” said Nichole Clayton, Senior Program Manager of Operations at TechPoint. “The likelihood that an incoming Xtern would choose Indy for full time work after graduation is 18 percent. After their participation in Xtern, that number rises to 76 percent on average. We are seeing how Xtern can change the perception of Indy for entry-level tech talent.”

Since successfully implementing Xtern as a tech talent attraction platform in Indianapolis, TechPoint also dedicated a program to retain those Xterns and new grad tech talent in Indy, as well as several other talent pipeline solutions that assist more junior-level talent and business-skilled talent. That suite of talent programs, known as TechPointX, is one of TechPoint’s hallmark resources provided to grow Indiana’s tech ecosystem.

To view all program dates and focus areas, visit techpoint.org/talent.

Xtern Bootcamp, a three-week intensive college training course, will see 150 students from Indiana universities and colleges this summer.

The Grid, a six-month program for Xtern alumni, offers professional networking and civic engagement to help retain recent grads in Indy and build a community post-Xtern.

The Indy Tech Fellowship, a two-year program for new grads, says farewell to the Class of 2016 and continues to develop the Class of 2017. These product managers, designers and developers focus on building their skill set as the next generation of tech leaders.

Sales Bootcamp, a six-week program for goal-oriented, competitive people, launches its fourth cohort this July with 30 new grads and career changers looking to on-ramp their sales career in tech companies. These individuals will be ready to enter SDR, BDR and account management roles in tech companies upon successful completion of the program.

It’s likely that if you work in a tech or tech-enabled company in Indianapolis and central Indiana, you’ll come across a participant in one of these programs. We encourage you to support this talent pipeline by welcoming them to our city and sharing that Hoosier hospitality that makes our state unique. If you are a company interested in more information about participating in these talent programs, contact Nichole Clayton at nichole@techpoint.org. If you are a participant, visit techpoint.org/talent to see each individual program, application dates and timelines.