Office of Career and Technical Education opens applications for Education Readiness Grants; Partners with Conexus Indiana and TechPoint

2023-01-12T10:43:34-05:00January 12, 2023|

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Indiana Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE), in partnership with Conexus Indiana and TechPoint, has opened applications for Education Readiness Grants, which provide funding for selected schools to implement high school CTE programs in high-demand career fields, specifically advanced manufacturing and information technology. The grant aims to strengthen partnerships between industry and local schools, while increasing student access to opportunities in these career fields. Schools seeking to implement or expand select programs of study in advanced manufacturing and information technology are eligible to apply. Applications are available here and open through February 15. Grant recipients must demonstrate a direct connection with local employers in advanced manufacturing or information technology with the goal of recruiting more students to CTE and graduating job-ready students with experience and credentials needed by local employers. Schools using Education Readiness Grants must [...]

New study: Cobots, cybersecurity, sensor technology and Internet of Things defining Indiana’s Factory of the Future  

2022-12-07T08:40:37-05:00December 8, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 8, 2022) – Conexus Indiana today announced results of its annual Industry 4.0 technology adoption survey that, for the first time, shows a continuous and measurable trend in the technologies that are defining Indiana’s Factory of the Future. Conducted in collaboration with Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for Excellence in Manufacturing, the 2022 study analyzed responses from nearly 200 Indiana manufacturers. Key findings show that cobots, cybersecurity, sensor technology and Internet of Things (IoT) are the top four technologies manufacturers expect to adopt in the next five years, each more highly anticipated than in years past. The percentage of manufacturers reporting plans to adopt cobots and cybersecurity in the next five years has doubled from 2020 to 2022, followed closely by a 25% increase in those planning to adopt sensor technology and a 68% increase in [...]

Data confirm significant impact of Manufacturing Readiness Grants program on company growth, state’s economy, Hoosier workforce

2022-09-30T07:41:38-04:00September 9, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (September 9, 2022) – Conexus Indiana announced today results of a comprehensive study measuring the impact of the statewide Manufacturing Readiness Grants program. The $138.9 million in technology adoption projects spurred by Manufacturing Readiness Grants are adding jobs, growing wages and increasing company revenues, resulting in a 26 percent internal rate of return for the State of Indiana. The Manufacturing Readiness Grants program was launched in 2020 as part of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Economic Activity Stabilization and Enhancement (EASE) program and was extended through a separate appropriation from the Indiana General Assembly in 2021. Since inception, $17.4 million in matching grants through 212 awards have been made to stimulate private sector investments in technologies such as next-generation machines, cobots, machine vision and additive manufacturing to modernize Indiana’s manufacturing industry. The “Manufacturing Readiness Grants Program 2022 Impact Report” [...]

State invests in future, modernization of Indiana manufacturing operations through next round of Readiness Grants

2022-06-20T09:04:27-04:00June 20, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (June 20, 2022) – The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), in partnership with Conexus Indiana, announced the sixth round of awards totaling nearly $4 million in Manufacturing Readiness Grants to 43 Indiana businesses, supporting a projected $46.1 million in technology-enabled capital investment across Indiana. “Manufacturing is in Indiana’s DNA—we build things,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “The demand for the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program has proven time and time again to us that these investments help Hoosiers build things better.” Launched in 2020, the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program was created to stimulate private sector investments to modernize Indiana’s manufacturing industry. Since then, $17.4 million in grant funding has been awarded to 212 companies in 60 counties, prompting proposed projects with combined budgets of $138.9 million and $22 million in estimated new wages. "Technologies play a critical role in Hoosier [...]

Thirty young professionals named to Conexus Indiana Rising 30

2022-05-12T07:42:56-04:00May 12, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (May 12, 2022) Conexus Indiana announced the 30 young professionals who have been named to the 2022 Rising 30 cohort. These honorees represent Indiana’s top talent under the age of 30 who will drive Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries successfully into the future. The Rising 30 program is part of Conexus Indiana’s mission to strengthen Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries and create pathways for Hoosiers to succeed in Indiana’s largest industry sector. “The advanced manufacturing and logistics industries account for more than 30 percent of Indiana’s economic output and employ more than 600,000 Hoosiers,” said Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “Recognizing young professionals who contribute meaningfully to Indiana’s largest industry sectors is incredibly important and helps to shine a light on the many rewarding career opportunities available in advanced manufacturing and logistics. I’m thrilled to join Conexus in [...]

Conexus Indiana honors Thomas Easterday, Retired Senior Executive Vice President of Subaru of Indiana Automotive, with 2022 Andre B. Lacy Vanguard Award

2022-05-09T09:17:17-04:00May 9, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (May 9, 2022) Thomas V. Easterday, retired senior executive vice president of Subaru of Indiana Automotive has been named the 2022 Andre B. Lacy Vanguard Award recipient, joining an exclusive group of industry leaders recognized for extraordinary leadership and impact. Conexus Indiana presents the Vanguard Award each year to a Hoosier leader who champions the advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, models civic and philanthropic leadership and demonstrates a visionary perspective that challenges the status quo. The award is named in honor of philanthropist and business leader Andre B. Lacy who left a large footprint on Indiana as a third-generation leader of his family business, Lacy Diversified Industries Ltd. (LDI). He passed away in November 2017. Previous winners of the Vanguard Award, now in its fifth year, include F. Joseph Loughrey, former president of Cummins Inc. and a founding member [...]

Conexus Indiana partners with The Crossing School of Business & Entrepreneurship to bring Catapult to high school students

2022-04-22T16:31:04-04:00April 20, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (April 20, 2022) Conexus Indiana joined The Crossing School of Business & Entrepreneurship today for a ribbon-cutting event, celebrating the opening of the Manufacturing Skills Lab at the Frankfort Crossing campus in Frankfort, Ind. The center will use curriculum and equipment provided by Catapult Indiana, Conexus Indiana’s proven career training program that creates pathways to employment and career growth with local manufacturers. Catapult Indiana is a 160-hour training program that teaches broadly applicable advanced manufacturing skills to unemployed and underemployed adults and high school students through classroom instruction and simulated work experiences. Students are introduced to key advanced manufacturing and logistics principles, with a focus on developing critical thinking skills, a superior work ethic and an understanding of production processes and expectations. Each of these skills is key to entry-level employment as well as career growth. Catapult has placed [...]

Conexus Indiana adds three directors to support its statewide advanced manufacturing and logistics industry work

2022-04-07T12:05:36-04:00April 7, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (April 7, 2022) – Conexus Indiana has added three new director-level staff to support its expanding regional and strategic work to strengthen Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries. To help further its mission, Conexus has added Leighton Johnson as director of innovation and digital transformation, Sonya Snellenberger as director of industry engagement and Molly Zentz as director of communications. “As Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries continue to grow and innovate to meet Industry 4.0 challenges, we are growing our organization’s footprint, programs and initiatives,” said Fred Cartwright, president and CEO of Conexus Indiana. “As a catalyst for positive change for the industries, we are fortifying our team with new talent with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.” Johnson comes to Conexus from South Bend –Elkhart Regional Partnership where he served as senior director of workforce solutions. In that role, he [...]

Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, Conexus Indiana launch grant program to support high school adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, prepare future workforce

2022-03-08T09:33:39-05:00March 8, 2022|

(INDIANAPOLIS) - The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and Conexus Indiana today announced a new $500,000 grant program to support Indiana high schools as they prepare students for careers in the increasingly high-tech advanced manufacturing industry. Modeled after the statewide Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, Education Readiness Grants are available for qualifying secondary schools that purchase new, smart manufacturing technologies and equipment to develop skills students need to succeed in an Industry 4.0 economy. The Education Readiness Grants program is a direct response to the success of the Manufacturing Readiness Grants program, launched in mid-2020 and administered by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) in partnership with Conexus Indiana. To date, 169 awards have been made totaling more than $13.4 million in Manufacturing Readiness Grants. These grants are supporting a projected $93 million in capital investment in Industry 4.0 technologies, which connect physical [...]

Conexus Indiana, Indiana University Kelley Center for Excellence in Manufacturing open 2022 Industry 4.0 survey

2022-03-03T09:22:21-05:00March 3, 2022|

INDIANAPOLIS (March 3, 2022) Conexus Indiana and the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for Excellence in Manufacturing today launched its annual survey seeking input from Indiana advanced manufacturing and logistics companies about their technology adoption journey. This is the third survey to measure adoption rates of advanced technologies, such as collaborative robots (cobots), Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous mobile robots and 3D printing that define the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0. Conexus Indiana launched its first survey in 2020, the results of which led to the establishment of the Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grants (MRG) program. The second report, titled “The First Signpost on the Road from Early Adoption to Widespread Application of Industry 4.0 Technologies,” showed significant progress with more than 40% of Indiana advanced manufacturers surveyed having successfully implemented or piloted an Industry 4.0 technology, more [...]

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