Allen County High School/Graduate Retention Consortium
Amount awarded - $78,000

A partnership between the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce and 19 local Allen County public, private, and parochial high schools, the goal of this project is to provide junior and senior high school students with the information and experience they need to help them clarify their long-term career interests and make informed education and career choices. Through activities such as career fairs, career exploration workshops, college visits, job shadowing, facility tours, mentoring, and internships the project will provide 6,000 junior and senior high school students with the firsthand knowledge about the real world of business and help them find their place in it. Through the program, students will also have the opportunity to develop connections with and knowledge about local employers—and local employers, in turn, will learn how to use experiential learning experiences to enhance their relationships with area schools and recruit local talent.

Navigation 101
Amount awarded - $100,000

A project of Fort Wayne Community Schools, Navigation 101 is aimed at helping middle and high school students develop a viable post-secondary education and career plan. Through the program, students build 21st century skills, explore the education and career options available to them, and make concrete plans to help them succeed in the career of their choice. With funding from the Schwab Foundation, Fort Wayne Community Schools has been able to implement Navigation 101 in all five community high schools and in three area middle schools, impacting nearly 20,000 area students.

Talent Initiative
Amount awarded - $57,000

This innovative program provides partnerships between local defense/aerospace and advanced manufacturing employers and New Tech High Schools to provide meaningful internships for New Tech students. In addition to traditional internships, businesses and students will engage in virtual internships, which enable the employer and student to interact remotely via emails, social media, and/or video, enabling the student to work entirely offsite. This model not only allows extensive flexibility for both the employer and the student, it also introduces the student to the 21st Century workplace environment where employees or teams of employees often work remotely. By taking into account scheduling, geography, cost, and number of available opportunities, this innovative methodology allows the Talent Initiative to provide the maximum amount of internships to interested students.

Junior Achievement of Northeast Indiana
Amount awarded - $35,000

Through the Schwab Career Center at the JA BizTown, 5th and 6th grade students complete personal assessments, learn about local employers, access information about career-related educational paths, and explore career possibilities—especially those related to the six high-demand career clusters in the local market, i.e., Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Healthcare, Information Technology, Life Sciences, and Transportation/Distribution/Logistics. With grant funding through the Schwab Foundation, Junior Achievement of Northeast Indiana will produce up to six “spotlight” videos to showcase local community CEOs and industry-specific business leaders. The videos will capture and personalize insights regarding job and career opportunities in demand locally in a way that is engaging and informative for 5th and 6th grade students. Across a 25-county service area in northern Indiana, JA reaches more than 97,000 K-12 students annually, including more than 47,000 in Allen County.