Ivy Tech Community College Lafayette has combined career development and employer outreach services into the new Career Coaching and Employer Connections (CCEC) program. The program emphasizes comprehensive career readiness for students and partnerships with area employers to meet the needs of Indiana’s workforce.
CCEC creates a cohesive model for student and employer engagement. Comprehensive career readiness practices are combined with academic preparation throughout a student’s college experience. College staff help students align their studies with high-wage, high-demand careers, as well as build and sustain employer partnerships.
“The CCEC program brings together services we have been offering to students and employers separately and brought them under a single, coordinated structure,” said Ivy Tech Lafayette Chancellor David Bathe. “The alignment will help serve the needs of the area’s workforce, enhance the regional economy, and strengthen our communities.”
Students who participate in this program will have a variety of opportunities, including creating a career development portfolio that includes a resume and LinkedIn profile, one-on-one support from a career coach, and work-and-learn experiences that build relationships with employers prior to graduation.
For employers, the CCEC program represents a new commitment to helping them find top talent for their workforce needs. Employers have the opportunity to skill-up their current employees with custom training. The CCEC team works collaboratively with businesses to help coordinate work and learn opportunities in the Lafayette campus service area comprising Tippecanoe, White, Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Montgomery, Newton, and Warren counties. By closely aligning the student experience with employer needs, the CCEC program is designed meet the specific skills and training needs of employers in Indiana.
Organizations supporting Ivy Tech’s CCEC program include Lilly Endowment, Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Glick Fund, Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Garatoni-Smith Family Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and Salesforce.
The College rolled out the CCEC model statewide through a phased approach. The first phase began in the fall of 2019 at campuses in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend/Elkhart, Kokomo, Sellersburg and Madison. The second phase included Evansville, Valparaiso, Richmond and Lawrenceburg/Batesville locations. The third phase included Lafayette, Lake County, Anderson and Marion. The new staffing structure will lead to a significant increase in individualized career coaching, student internships and other work-and-learn experiences, and career placements.
For questions or more information, contact Brooklyn Burton, executive director of the Ivy Tech Lafayette CCEC, at [email protected].