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Indiana faces a paradox. Employers struggle to find qualified workers while thousands of talented college students graduate without clear pathways to careers. As acting president and CEO of the Indiana Latino Institute and someone who has worked in education for nearly 20 years, I’ve watched this disconnect persist. But over the past 24 months, we’ve proven there’s a better way.
Through the institute’s workforce development program, we’ve connected nearly 200 college students to meaningful internships and will award close to $200,000 in stipends by year’s end. These strategic placements result in full-time job offers upon graduation. Yet we cannot continue or scale this work without businesses willing to invest in it.
Indiana’s Latino population is growing rapidly, representing an increasingly vital part of our state’s workforce potential. Yet Latino students graduate from four-year institutions at significantly lower rates than their peers. This gap isn’t about ability or ambition—it’s about access to networks, experiences and support systems that translate college education into career success. Addressing this challenge benefits not just Latino students, but Indiana’s entire economy.
Our program does what individual companies cannot efficiently do: Identify talented students early, build relationships over time and provide comprehensive support that bridges classroom to career. When we place a student in an internship, we provide mentorship, professional development and culturally responsive support that helps students navigate professional environments where they might be the first in their family to work in corporate settings.
Students who complete our program regularly receive full-time job offers upon graduation. Employers gain access to diverse, motivated talent they might never have found through traditional recruiting. But we can’t keep up with demand from students seeking internship opportunities. The talent is here. The employers need them. Without adequate funding, we’re turning away students who could benefit from these career pathways.
Let me be direct: Corporations cannot expect nonprofits to deliver ready-to-hire talent without investing in the organizations doing this work. When businesses complain about talent shortages while nonprofits struggle for funding, we’re approaching the problem backward. Companies need partners embedded in communities who understand barriers students face and provide support that makes the difference between dropping out and graduating with a job offer.
This work requires funding for staff, student stipends, professional development and infrastructure to manage meaningful placements. Every dollar invested builds a sustainable pipeline that delivers qualified candidates year after year—employees who understand Indiana and are committed to staying here.
The institute placed nearly 200 students in 24 months with documented success. This isn’t experimental—it’s proven and needs funding to scale. What’s required are multiyear partnerships and recognition that meaningful internship programs have tangible value to the bottom line. Students are graduating today. Workforce needs exist right now.
The Indiana Latino Institute has demonstrated what’s possible, but the approach works for all underrepresented students seeking career pathways. What we need now is for corporate Indiana to recognize that solving workforce shortages requires investing in organizations like ours—not as charity but as strategic business investment in the talent infrastructure our state desperately needs.
The model works. The talent is here. Will you invest?•
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Peñalva is acting president and CEO of the Indiana Latino Institute.
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