INDIANA – The Indiana Office of Technology’s (IOT) award-winning State Earn and Learn (SEAL) IT Program, a work-based learning program with on-the-job paid training in IT government careers, reached a milestone, adding its 50th associate this week.
The SEAL program identifies, hires, and trains citizens from any background or experience. Some SEALs previously worked as truck drivers, factory workers, line cooks, grocery store workers, and arcade technicians. They are now transitioning into IT careers in cybersecurity, disaster recovery, telecommunications, application development, public cloud operations, and more.
“The SEAL IT Program has allowed IOT to find and train the next generation of its workforce,” SEAL IT Director and IOT’s Director of Strategic Workforce Planning Jon Rogers said. “Through SEAL IT and its skills-based focus on hiring, IOT has taken bold, innovative steps in public sector IT hiring and talent development practices, and the agency has earned kudos from leaders in the broader Indiana IT community for its efforts.”
Since its pilot of two individuals in March 2020, the SEAL IT Program has hired 50 SEAL associates and now supports four executive branch agencies. To date, IOT has converted nineteen program graduates into full-time IOT state employees.
During the work week, associates have time built in for studying and practicing for industry-valued certifications. This carefully balanced experience between the EARN (hands-on experience within a functional team) and the LEARN (continued study toward meaningful certifications) provides the SEAL associates with real-world opportunities in IT and the foundation needed for eligibility for work with the State of Indiana.
IOT partnered with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to leverage this trade-focused apprenticeship program to support the mission of a public agency in 2019. In three years, the program is gaining interest not only in other state agencies but in counties across the state too. For more information about the program, visit the website: https://www.in.gov/iot/seal/ .
