For Immediate Release
Workforce Ready Grant funds available for Ivy Tech March and June classes
TERRE HAUTE – Indiana’s Workforce Ready Grant funds are available for students who wish to start Ivy Tech Community College upcoming classes in March or June. For those who qualify, the Grant covers tuition for students to earn Ivy Tech certificates in a wide variety of career fields including automotive service, business administration, CNC machining, cyber security, diesel technology, HVAC, medical assisting, welding, and many others. Anyone considering college or career training who has not completed a college credential should learn to see if they are eligible to start tuition-free classes.
Soon-to-be high school graduates who are eligible for the Grant could potentially start tuition-free certificate classes in summer or fall.
Maverick Magill, a Terre Haute High School South graduate, is one Ivy Tech student who is using the Workforce Ready Grant. Magill was accepted to Purdue University but chose Ivy Tech because he is using Workforce Ready Grant funding to pay for technical certificates in welding and machine tool technology. This will help him save on college costs in the long run because he is still considering transferring to Purdue after graduation.
Ivy Tech student Maverick Magill is using the Workforce Ready Grant to help pay for college classes. With the help of grant funding, he will earn a technical certificate that counts toward his associate degree in Advanced Automation & Robotics Technology. Photo submitted by Ivy Tech.
“Ivy Tech is super close to home and a bunch of my friends came here,” said Magill. “I earned a little under 30 dual credits in high school, and I learned that the Workforce Ready Grant would help pay for the certificates I was working toward.”
After Magill completes his certificates, he will apply his credits toward completing an Associate of Applied Science in Advanced Automation & Robotics Technology.
“The demand for jobs in advanced automation is great,” said Magill. “Everyone’s going to automation.”
Magill’s certificate coursework covered by the Grant will help him save on the cost of his degree.
Brian Grayless is another Ivy Tech Terre Haute student who is using the Workforce Ready Grant to earn a technical certificate in machine tool technology.
“The grant helps a lot financially,” he said. “I have only had to pay out-of-pocket for one Ivy Tech class.”
Grayless graduated from Turkey Run High School, where he took free dual credit classes in automotive technology. His College Connection Coach at the school told him about the Workforce Ready Grant and urged him to try an Ivy Tech summer class in the machine tool technology program.
“I ended up really liking the class,” said Grayless. “It helped me make my mind up on what I wanted to do after high school. My dad worked on CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines and I always wanted to go into that field, but I knew there would be a lot of schooling. When I found out about the grant, it helped me get started in the program.”
Grayless plans to graduate this May with an Associate of Applied Science in Machine Tool Technology, along with technical certificates in structural welding and machine tool technology.
Grayless is already employed in his field of study, and works at J & N Metal Products in Brazil, where he operates CNC machines to produce parts for various companies.
“There are great job opportunities in machine tool technology in the Wabash Valley and also Lafayette and Indianapolis,” said Grayless. “GE, Subaru, Caterpillar, large aerospace companies, and many other large companies hire CNC machinists.”
To qualify for the Workforce Ready Grant, students must be Indiana residents, U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, and have a high school diploma or equivalent but less than a college degree.
To learn more about Grant requirements and to apply, visit ivytech.edu/nextleveljobs or contact Ivy Tech Terre Haute at (812) 298-2280 or terrehaute-info@ivytech.edu.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.
