A partnership with Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington, the ROI graduation and career coaching initiative began at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year and operated in eleven Indiana Uplands high schools.

Working closely with school administrators and counseling teams, graduation and career coaches supported 50-60 students in each school who are most at-risk for not attaining high school diplomas. Coaches worked with students to create individualized high school completion plans to help ensure students attended school, arrived on time, fulfilled academic requirements, and graduated with a high school diploma.

In conjunction with regional industry representatives and postsecondary institutions, coaching activities also included career learning activities such as mock interviews, financial literacy training, job shadowing, soft skill training, job fairs, and college or industry visits.

The graduation and career coaching program was aimed at improving graduation rates and preparing students for success after school through employment and pathways into technical certifications, associate degrees, and other postsecondary degree programs.