VALPARAISO, IND. (JULY 11, 2024) — The Center of Workforce Innovations will work with school
districts across Northwest Indiana to administer the state’s innovative model for preparing students to
make informed decisions about their college and career paths. CWI was awarded $1 million as part of
the state’s $25 million Career Coaching Grant through the Indiana Commission for Higher Education –
one of only 28 organizations selected.
The funding is part of the Comprehensive Career Coaching and Navigation Framework, a multi-year
program developed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2023 in collaboration with the Indiana
Department of Education. The program is intended to help students from pre-kindergarten to 12th
grade prepare for finding a vocation they love after graduation.
“We are deeply honored to receive this substantial investment,” CWI President and CEO Lisa Daugherty
said. “This will enable us to significantly enhance the career coaching services we offer to young
people in Northwest Indiana.”
Throughout the process, students will be provided age-appropriate coursework covering wide-ranging
topics such as financial literacy and building work-ready skills. Upon completion, young Hoosiers will be
better informed about their postsecondary and career opportunities.
CWI plans to use the allotment in collaboration with existing provider partners and programs including
school districts across Northwest Indiana, JobWorks, Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), Indiana
University Northwest, Ivy Tech Community College, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana,
Goodwill and additional youth service providers. Ready NWI, a CWI-led regional alliance between area
K-12 schools, postsecondary institutions, workforce collaborators, and employers, will play a pivotal
role in the process.
CWI will provide career coaches who will lead guided tours of the region’s most in-demand industries
and occupations and offer 30-minute “Career Discovery Meetings” for high school juniors and seniors
who may need more guidance. The grant’s immediate impact will allow the organization to bridge the
gap for some of the area’s most vulnerable student populations.
“For schools, we will be specifically focusing on those districts with the highest levels of distress in the
local community,” explained Shaun Sahloff, CWI’s Director of Planning and Fundraising. “This project
will leverage a number of current projects and initiatives to scale the availability of career coaching
services to the region’s high school students.”
According to Sahloff, CWI will monitor the number of students entering employment or postsecondary
education after graduation as a more long-term performance indicator. “Success will be the scaling of
these services to a greater number of regional students and school corporations.”
For more information, please contact Shaun Sahlhoff at (219) 248-7455 or sahlhoff@cwicorp.com.