First INCAP Apprentices Start Working At Employers Throughout The State

The first high school students participating in the Indiana Career Apprenticeship Pathway (INCAP) are beginning their apprenticeships as schools across the state start the new academic year.
Fifty sophomores and juniors will be INCAP apprentices at 25 employer locations across 15 communities statewide, according to a provided news release.
Locally, Medartis is hiring students from Triton School Corporation and Lake City Bank is hiring students from Warsaw Community High School.
INCAP is a new education and training pathway that prepares Hoosiers for in-demand careers and helps Indiana businesses find and train employees. INCAP is for high school and adult students, with adult career training programs starting later this fall. Participating high schoolers split their time between the workplace and the classroom, spending multiple full days a week on the job to help ensure they gain in-demand skills while also making meaningful contributions to their employers. The students are paid by their employers and work year-round.
This year, the 50 high schoolers participating in INCAP are enrolled in one of six Apprenticeship Programs: In Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics, four students are participating in the Polymechanic Apprenticeship Program. In banking/financial services, 25 students are participating in the Retail Banking Apprenticeship Program. In healthcare, 16 students are participating in the Healthcare Assistant Apprenticeship Program. In tech/IT, three students are participating in the IT Project Coordinator Apprenticeship Program, one is in the IT Support Technician Apprenticeship Program, and one is in the Software Development Associate Apprenticeship Program.
“Thousands of in-demand jobs across Indiana are waiting to be filled, and INCAP is a game-changing way to help students prepare for those opportunities,” said David Becker, CEMETS iLab Indiana co-chair and chairman and CEO of First Internet Bank, which hired three INCAP apprentices this school year. “With more than 100,000 new jobs expected in Indiana by 2033, we cannot afford to leave talent on the sidelines. Programs like INCAP connect students to meaningful careers while giving employers access to the workforce they need for the future.”
“In addition, not enough Hoosiers get the education and training needed after high school to meet labor market needs. By 2031, 72% of U.S. jobs will require some form of education or training beyond high school, and Indiana is not on track to meet that workplace reality,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, president and CEO of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and co-chair of CEMETS iLab Indiana, the coalition of Hoosier leaders building INCAP.
The new pathway’s combination of real-world skills training and classroom learning creates more opportunities for Hoosiers to prepare for their future career.
INCAP aligns with Indiana's new high school diploma requirements, as the pathway provides a structure for students to earn at least 650 hours of work-based learning and a Credential of Value, which are requirements of the new Employment Honors Plus Seal. High schoolers will earn an INCAP credential or degree, while adults who complete an INCAP training program will earn an INCAP degree.
INCAP degrees and credentials are recognized as indicators of industry experience and hold value in the job market, so INCAP apprentices are prepared to enter the job market or pursue college, the release states. INCAP degrees and credentials will also count toward college credit in related degree programs across Indiana.
This recognition is enabled by the new Indiana Qualifications Framework, which aligns degrees and credentials earned in INCAP (and other work-based learning pathways) with academic programs and is overseen by the new Indiana Qualifications Advisory Panel (IQAP). After the IQAP coordinates an independent review process that includes industry experts and the Indiana Office of Education gives final approval, INCAP credentials are added to the state’s Credentials of Value list.
As a result, students can more easily transition between INCAP and the college pathway because the education and training they complete in the workplace is recognized for credit.
Recruitment for the next cohort of INCAP apprentices will begin in January 2027. For the 2027-28 school year, more than 15 apprenticeship occupations are expected to be available across eight industries with significant workforce needs: advanced manufacturing and logistics, banking/financial services, construction, healthcare, hospitality, insurance, life sciences and tech/IT.