INDIANAPOLIS (September 6, 2022) — TechPoint, the nonprofit, industry-led growth accelerator for Indiana’s tech ecosystem, today announced a one-day event — Launch Mission41K — where it will work with up to 250 early adopters of the organization’s new Mission41K movement: a plan to grow the state’s tech workforce by 41,000 by 2030 and solidify Indiana’s national reputation as a vibrant tech hub.
“We’re gratified by the response from Indiana companies who are eager to work collaboratively to capitalize on the tech talent momentum we’ve created together,” said TechPoint President and CEO Ting Gootee.
“This event will bring together hundreds of stakeholders, representing the first companies and community partners to embrace our call to inclusively grow Indiana’s tech workforce and create new career pathways,” she added. “Our collaborative efforts will help launch great tech and tech-enabled careers for those wanting to gain necessary skills and will urge employers to adopt hiring best practices that would make it easier for talent to enter the tech workforce—particularly those from underrepresented groups.”
Mission41K is a collaborative movement designed to address the largest problem tech employers are facing today: finding, hiring and retaining qualified tech talent. 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.
The Launch Mission41K event, scheduled for Tuesday, September 27 at the Indiana State Museum, will include morning sessions that will focus on educating participants about Mission41K, skills-based hiring and apprenticeship opportunities, and an afternoon of workshops where participants will learn how to adopt those strategies. Other topics to be discussed include youth and adult apprenticeships, total rewards planning for key tech pathway roles and more experiential learning opportunities like internships.
The Indiana tech workforce has grown by 16.3 percent over the past decade, a 60 percent faster growth rate than seen across other sectors. More than 184,000 Hoosiers now work in tech and tech-enabled roles, filling one out of every 10 jobs in Indiana. Tech jobs offer high salaries, stability and strong advancement pathways. 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.
Growing the Indiana tech workforce is challenged by fewer people entering the workforce as older workers retire. Obstacles created by traditional hiring practices make the issue more difficult. Adopting skills-based hiring and creating inclusive pathways while encouraging young Hoosiers to consider tech careers are part of the strategic effort to accomplish Mission41K goals.
TechPoint Executive Vice President of Talent Pathways and Programs Dennis Trinkle was recruited to join the organization and create a team to develop the new career pathways, to grow the Indiana tech workforce and to greatly expand the organization’s acclaimed talent programs.
“We have the right team with deep experience in apprenticeships, skills-based hiring and talent development at all levels to execute on our ambitious goals,” he said. “Equally important, we have a tech community that embraces collaboration and innovation, and is invested and eager to help us grow our pool of tech talent.”
About TechPoint: TechPoint is the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology companies and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on attracting talent, accelerating scale-up companies, activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.
