INDIANAPOLIS (October 6, 2026) – Indiana Governor Mike Braun today announced a new resource to expand career-connected learning opportunities for Indiana’s K-12 students. A new Work-Based Learning Digital Resource Hub has been launched through a partnership between the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (the Commission), the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), and Ascend Indiana . This comprehensive collection of practical tools is designed to help K-12 schools, employers, and regional partners implement high-quality work-based learning aligned with Indiana’s new high school diploma. “Indiana is committed to making sure every student graduates ready for the opportunities ahead, and that means connecting learning in the classroom to real experiences in the workplace,” said Gov. Braun. “The new Work‑Based Learning Digital Resource Hub gives schools and employers the practical tools they need to bring career‑connected learning to life. By strengthening these partnerships [...]

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 24, 2026) – Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), today announced a new microgrant opportunity to help Indiana schools launch student-led businesses (SLBs), expanding access to high-quality, hands-on work-based learning (WBL) experiences for students across the state. As Indiana works to expand access to work-based learning (WBL), schools face significant challenges in providing internships and other employer-based experiences at the scale needed to meet growing student demand. Ascend's modeling indicates that statewide demand could increase from approximately 15,000 WBL experiences per cohort today to as many as 34,000 by the fall of 2028, requiring up to 19,000 additional experiences annually. One strategy to help address this gap is the expansion of SLBs, which can help schools and employers overcome common barriers, including transportation, scheduling constraints and limited [...]

Ascend Indiana, the talent and workforce development initiative of the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), announced today a statewide initiative to support Indiana schools and employers in developing and implementing high-quality work-based learning experiences for high school students. In partnership with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), Ascend developed and launched a comprehensive set of resources that provides step-by-step guidance, examples and design considerations aligned with Indiana’s updated high school graduation requirements. Ascend has also established and equipped a network of regional partners that will coordinate, expand and enable high-quality WBL across the state. As Indiana’s statewide workforce initiative, Ascend developed these work-based learning resources and accompanying network in response to the state’s high school diploma redesign, which requires students graduating with a readiness seal to have completed sustained WBL experiences aligned to career pathways. “Beginning with the [...]