On June 25, 2015, more than 150 thought leaders and key stakeholders representing Indiana’s education, technology, and economic/workforce development sectors gathered at the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis for the inaugural E2E Convergence event.

Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers delivered the conference’s keynote address, calling on Indiana’s educational and industrial leaders to make the state a nationwide example for employer/education collaboration. Other speakers included Bill Nonte, chief of staff and chief financial officer for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development; Gerry McCartney, system CIO and vice president for information technology at Purdue University; and Brooke Huntington, president and CEO of EmployIndy.

Participants also engaged in facilitated conversations about their experiences with connecting educators and employers. Major themes of these conversations included:

• Connecting to the Millennial generation
• Creating more real-world opportunities for students
• How Indiana can better compete against other favored workforce destinations
• Facilitating successful internship experiences
• Maintaining diversity within a higher-skilled workforce
• The need to better connect with mid-career students and workers
• The need to better connect with rural students and workers
• Addressing a mistrust of industry within some higher education circles
• Fostering a better understanding of degree flexibility within the workforce

The event concluded with breakout sessions facilitated by TechPoint that aimed to translate the ideas generated at the event into actionable practices benefitting Indiana’s technology workforce and talent pipeline.