The two already had an agreement where Integrity EDM apprentices took their coursework through the community college.
Ivy Tech put together a series of courses for the business’s supervisors, including classes in management, business, public speaking and the basics of machine repair.
There are six Integrity supervisors in the program.
“That is the perfect example of how we align our standards to a company’s needs,” said Nick Capozzoli, executive director of operations, apprenticeships and special projects at Ivy Tech.
The partnership with Integrity EDM is one of numerous examples of how Ivy Tech works with unions and businesses to offer relevant education to workers, all meant to meet the needs of the community.
The Kokomo branch handles the academics for apprentices of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The union recruits apprentices and handles on-the-job handling. Ivy Tech comes along side and provides classes. Students earn an associate’s degree while completing the apprenticeship program.
“That has grown a lot over the past several years,” Capozzoli said. “They’ve been recruiting more heavily.”
The electric vehicle battery plants and the other developments in Kokomo have helped increase numbers.
“That relationship is replicated on many, many, many Ivy Tech campuses,” said Chancellor Ethan Heicher.
Ivy Tech provides the academic coursework for many apprenticeships.
The apprenticeships are registered with the Department of Labor. A key feature is built-in wage increases for students as they work their way through the program.
This includes the college’s paraprofessional-to-teacher program where teacher aides take classes at Ivy Tech while working for their school.
Ivy Tech provides classes after the school days and in the summer, making the program feasible for the working adult. They earn their associate’s degree through the college before transferring to Western Governor’s to complete their four-year degree.
The partnering school districts provide on-the-job training — via student teaching — and raises.
Raises come when a student gets their associate’s degree, teacher’s certificate and bachelor’s degree.
The program has garnered state interest; other Ivy Techs are looking at starting their own.
Encompass Credit Union will donate $100,000 over the next four years to cover tuition for those who enroll in the program.
Many of these types of partnerships come in the form of interdisciplinary agreements which allows students to leave Ivy Tech with some sort of credential.
They’re also flexible allowing for adjustments when needed.
For example, a company might want their apprentices to have welding knowledge — a popular request. Ivy Tech can include that in the coursework.
The college can also order the classes in a way that is most beneficial to the employer. For example, if a student being able to weld would come in handy if they work on the floor of a facility, Ivy Tech can structure their classes so it’s one of the first ones they take.
“That is a definite feature of the apprenticeship program,” Heicher said.
Stellantis, Haynes International and Chariot Automotive are major partners of Ivy Tech.
The college built a new addition to train the next wave of workers for the high-tech electric vehicle battery plants and smart manufacturing facilities in general.
Often, partnerships lead to new ones.
Ivy Tech instructors teach the classes for Chariot Automotive’s auto technician program which allows high school students to learn the basics of auto repair while also earning college credit.
Now, Ivy Tech offers Chariot’s office workers a chance to upskill by taking classes in sales and accounting.
“The apprentice program is the best model a community college can offer a partner,” Heicher said.
Apprenticeships and partnerships are expected to grow in the coming years. Ivy Tech routinely checks in with employers about their needs, what’s working and what’s not.
Sometimes, the partnerships find the college.
Central Midwest Carpenters union reached out to Ivy Tech about an agreement where the carpenters union will count certain classes and certifications students complete at Ivy Tech toward an apprenticeship.
Graduating from Ivy Tech and going into the carpenters union will shorten the time to complete an apprenticeship by about a year.
Union and Ivy Tech officials told the Tribune the agreement — signed in February — is meant to make it easier to get into the union while also giving students another possible career path and growing the interest in Ivy Tech’s program.
It’s hard to pinpoint the next possible apprenticeship, though Ivy Tech officials tossed out IT (information technology) as a possibility.
And perhaps a series of classes on Microsoft suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). It’s a popular skillset many employers want in workers.
“I think any industry is ripe for an apprenticeship,” Capozzoli said.
Pre-apprenticeships are another area that could see expansion.
Work is ongoing in starting a pre-apprenticeship program at Kokomo High School where students could complete their first year of the parapro-teacher apprenticeship while still in high school. Upon graduation, they’d work for the school district as a paraprofessional while continuing their education at Ivy Tech.
“That’s a huge potential growth area for skilled labor,” Heicher said.
©2025 the Kokomo Tribune (Kokomo, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
