INDIANAPOLIS – Ivy Tech Community College awarded 25,803 certificates, technical certificates and associate degrees to more than 18,000 students during the 2017-18 academic year, representing a 22 percent overachievement from its 2018 strategic plan goal.
The college awarded more than 4,500 certificates and associate degrees in 2017-18 when compared to the previous academic year.
The college said credentials awarded in high-demand industries saw the largest percentages of year-over-year growth including: information technology at 75 percent; business, logistics and supply chain at 45 percent; advanced manufacturing at 42 percent; and healthcare at 18 percent.
The college said most of the credentials were technical certificates, which have increased by 56 percent since 2016. Ivy Tech credits the increase with strategies to align workforce needs through employer-driven programs and intentional focus on students earning stackable credentials or short-term certificates and technical certificates, which opens doors to an associate degree.
“There has never been a more important time to surpass our completion goal as Indiana employers are seeking qualified, credentialed employees to fill high-wage jobs,” said Sue Ellspermann, president, Ivy Tech. “We appreciate our partnership with employers as we develop together the short-term certificates, technical certificates, and associate degrees needed in the workplace.”
She said earning short-term credentials, which stack within an associate degree program, provides students an immediate pathway to begin a career while continuing to work toward an associate or bachelor’s degree in fields where employers seek talent.
The credential increase can also be attributed to students earning their credentials and transferring to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Ivy Tech has transfer agreements with all Indiana public universities and offers seamless transfer programs ranging from teacher education to STEM programs.
Ivy Tech’s “Transfer as a Junior” program saw a 187 percent increase in earned associate degrees. Transfer as a Junior is a program option where students earn an associate degree then transfer to a four-year partner with junior status, upon meeting the receiving institution’s admissions requirements.
In January, Ivy Tech launched its five-year strategic plan: “Our Communities. Your College,” with a goal of seeing students earn 50,000 high-quality certifications, certificates, and degrees annually aligned with the state’s workforce needs.
