During his U.S. presidential term throughout most of the 1960s, Lyndon B. Johnson worked hard to ensure individuals pursuing employment opportunities, no matter the field, would not be discriminated against based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. In fact, as a way of protecting jobseekers, Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 in 1965, requiring federal contractors to take proactive steps toward ensuring equal employment opportunities for everyone.
Indiana Plan, which strives to introduce minorities, women and disadvantaged workers to construction industry-related career paths, was established as a result of Johnson’s Executive Order and has been in continuous operation since 1970.
Today, a pre-apprenticeship program serves as a recruitment and training mechanism while opening the door for expanded construction apprenticeships. Indiana Plan also helps employers meet workforce needs by offering education and training that can ultimately lead a diverse coalition of workers down a pathway toward potentially high-paying careers. In fact, over the years, statistics indicate that Indiana Plan has successfully helped several hundred individuals transition from transient-worker status to full-time employment opportunities.
“We still do some of the same things now that we did in the early days,” said Devon Doss, Executive Director, Indiana Plan. “We’re based in the community, so we go out to places like schools, churches, and correctional facilities to talk about career opportunities in construction and the trades.”
Through its Indianapolis location, Indiana Plan can help guide job seekers to work as:
- Bricklayers
- Carpenters
- Cement masons
- Electricians
- Glaziers
- Heat and frost insulators
- Ironworkers
- Laborers
- Millwrights
- Operating engineers
- Painters
- Plumbers and pipefitters
- Roofers
- Sheet metal workers
“At our northwest Indiana office up around Gary, there are a couple of additional fields that can be pursued, such as boiler making,” Doss said.
Regardless of the industry an individual may be interested in, those who take advantage of Indiana Plan offerings benefit from a two-week pre-apprenticeship program providing exposure to the trades, educational and training opportunities, and assistance in connecting with field contacts who can help secure actual apprenticeships.
“The majority who come to us initially want to be electricians because it’s an attractive trade but as we work with them, we may see areas we think they would be a better fit in.
“A lot of trades have entry level requirements. Some require hands-on experience, a passing grade in Algebra, equipment training and even OSHA training,” Doss continued. “Unfortunately, a lot of times, individuals from certain areas and communities may have had upbringings that don’t necessarily allow them to meet some of those requirements. If that’s the case, we work hard to align them with a trade that may be better suited for them. We also try to give them a full visual picture of what their life will be like while working in that field.”
Doss firmly believes in the Indiana Plan program because he went through it himself. In fact, that’s how he began his career as an electrician.
“Indiana Plan gave me the tools I needed,” he said. “After the two weeks of training I went through, I was pretty prepared. It also helped me understand what it was going to take for me to be successful.
“Indiana Plan showed me something I didn’t know anything about. It gave me that opportunity.”
Doss also said Indiana Plan is available to anyone considering the possibility of trades work.
“The program is geared toward increasing the number of women and minorities in those fields but it’s open to everyone. Right now, we’re starting to really focus on high school students,” he added.
“Indiana Plan is like a library for building trades. This is a one-stop shop to learn, see the tools needed, and receive help with the application process and right now, it’s totally free.”
More information on Indiana Plan can be found at https://indianaplan.org/.
