IVY TECH PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTED IN NATIONAL STUDY FINDING STRONG POSITIVE EVIDENCE OF PROGRAM PARTICIPATION WITH STUDENT COMPLETION

A national study highlighted an Ivy Tech Community College program that partners with Hoosier employers as a model to boost adult learning and student success.

Ivy Tech’s Achieve Your Degree (AYD) program was the subject of a RAND study that explored the connection between partnerships with community colleges and employers, and the success of adult learners. RAND is a nonprofit research institution that provides data-driven, objective analysis to improve public policy.

The study explored the connection between partnerships with community colleges and employers, and the success of adult learners. Evaluators found that participation in the AYD program increased the likelihood of attaining postsecondary credentials, such as a certificate, technical certificate, and associate degree, even after accounting for differences among learners.

Short-term certificate completion, allowing individuals to advance in their careers more quickly, showed the strongest relationship. Evaluators found that an additional term of AYD participation increased the probability of completing a short-term certificate by up to 53%.

“The AYD program is an important innovation in the postsecondary landscape. Unlike other employer– community college partnership programs, AYD staff work directly with employer partners to enroll working adult learners in education and training (often tailored to an employer), using federal tax allowances for employer-provided tuition assistance,” according to the study.

That direct partnership can enhance coordination and alignment of Ivy Tech with employers’ needs in local labor markets, the study said.

The key findings of the study included the success of using federal tax allowances to build direct partnerships and help remove out-of-pocket tuition costs for working adult learners and that employer–community college partnership programs, like the AYD program, can increase credential completion, especially of short-term certificates, according to the study.

Since its creation in 2016, the AYD program has grown to nearly 3,000 students and 300 employer partners in Fall 2025, and students have earned more than 7,000 credentials, including certificates, technical certificates, and associates degrees. In total, Ivy Tech has supported more than 12,500 employer‑sponsored students representing 485 employer partners through 2025.

The program continues to experience growth in student enrollment, retention, and completion of credentials, along with a marked increase in the number of employer partners, for which the list includes large companies such as Amazon, the State of Indiana, and large healthcare organizations, Dodge said.

One of the benefits of the program highlighted in the study is that the majority of students can earn their certificate or degree at minimal cost or no cost at all.

In more than 85% of cases, Ivy Tech invoices the employer directly, which removes the need for employees to manage out-of-pocket costs. For the remaining employers, Ivy Tech invoices after the employee receives their tuition reimbursement benefits.

For Carlos Sauri, a technician at Muncie-based Dannar, the AYD program made furthering his education a possibility he never expected to be able to pursue.

He earned an Interdisciplinary Industrial Workforce Certificate in 2025 with a 3.7 GPA and wants to continue his education further, something he never thought was possible before without the partnership between Dannar and Ivy Tech.

“It's almost indescribable because the skills that I've learned here, not only could I take somewhere else, but I never would have even dreamt about going down this road,” he said

For Sauri, the program makes him feel appreciated by his employer and gives him the ability to grow his skills to take on new projects and tasks. And his employer is benefiting from staff who are gaining not only skills, but confidence in themselves.

“Some of them, before the courses, worked as if they were not confident in all areas that we deal with. Now they are leading projects, leading discussions, even mentoring others on the knowledge they have now. I would highly recommend this program not only for the benefit it brings to the business but also the benefit and confidence it brings to my team,” said Blake Bennett, Dannar Production Manager.

The RAND report recommends other community colleges explore similar partnerships directly with employers to support students together in their educational journey and offers additional steps to further invest in and grow the program.

“The RAND report gives us a chance to reflect, improve, and invite others to join us. If you’re an employer, a college leader, or a working adult wondering if higher education is for you, know that it is. And programs like AYD are here to help you take that next step,” according to Ivy Tech’s commentary on the study.

To learn more, read the full report and read Ivy Tech’s commentary on the report, and check out the AYD program and how to participate.