INDIANA FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE

This a first-of-its kind survey, intended to gather employer perspectives on youth and adult work-based learning and talent development programming, including motivations, barriers, and incentives needed for participation. Critical findings include:

• Staff capacity is the top barrier to participation. Across employer types, the most consistent obstacle is a lack of staff time or capacity to manage trainees, more than legal or program requirements, cost, or interest.
• Most employers can only support a few learners per year. Even willing employers report limited capacity, with most estimating they could support 1–5 students or trainees annually, highlighting the need to scale across many partners.
• Youth work-based-learning faces unique structural barriers. Employers cite legal, liability, and logistical challenges specific to youth (particularly those under 18) as key deterrents, even when interest is present.
• Financial barriers may hit small employers the hardest. Smaller organizations are more likely to cite cost as a barrier, especially for adult training.
• Participation could rise significantly if barriers are addressed. Over 80% of employers said they would participate more if barriers were removed.

This research was sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College and the Indiana Chamber Foundation. 

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