Indiana Office of Technology's (IOT) State Earn and Learn Information Technology (SEAL) IT program nominated for an award

Second year in a row that they have been nominated

INDIANAPOLIS (Mar. 21, 2023) — The Indiana Office of Technology's (IOT) State Earn and Learn Information Technology (SEAL) IT program and the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC) were each again recently nominated for a TechPoint MIRA Award, the state's largest and most prestigious technology award. Both entities are repeat nominees, after being award finalists in 2022.

TechPoint, the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology ecosystem, announced the nominees for its 24th annual Mira Awards program that celebrates “The Best of Tech in Indiana.”

IOT’s SEAL IT Program is a nominee for the Mission41K Talent Champion Award -recognizing employers that are adopting skills-based talent management, implementing apprenticeships and more.

The IECC is a nominee for the Service Partner of the Year, which honors professional services firms or internal corporate teams that are creating solutions, products or providing other professional services related to IT/cybersecurity, design/branding, marketing/PR, legal/accounting, consulting, or data science.  

The SEAL IT program reskills adults from other occupations – among them, warehouse workers, truck drivers, line cooks, and veterans – into IT business areas of high need, like cybersecurity and cloud operations.

Since its inception in March 2020, there have been 51 associates hired into the program and 19 of those have graduated and are full-time state employees. 

“This program provides individuals with work-based learning, mentoring, coaching, and industry certifications that can lead to successful careers within the technology industry,"  IOT Chief Information Officer Tracy Barnes said. "Because of this opportunity, Indiana has become one of the first states to use skills-based hiring to fill the tremendous need of IT jobs." 

Of the more than 30 state government-established entities focused on cybersecurity, the strategic framework of the IECC was the first of its kind to be established (among all 50 states) and together with the measurable results that have been produced by the council, it has earned the State of Indiana national recognition as a top tier state for cyber governance. Led by IOT, Indiana Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Indiana State Police (ISP) and the Indiana National Guard, the council is comprised of 35 voting members and more than 250 advisory members from the public and private sector.

"This nomination was only made possible by the hard work of each and every one of our council members," Cybersecurity Program Director Chetrice Mosely-Romero said. "The council has donated thousands of hours and millions of dollars' worth in expertise and services to those who need it most, and we are a better state because of it." 

Mira Award nominees were selected by 54 independent judges who evaluated and ranked the applications. In early March, nominees will present their cases and be interviewed by judging panels. This year’s award winners will be announced during an in-person gala at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 22, 2023.

A complete list of the nominees is available at: https://techpoint-announces-nominees-for-24th-annual-mira-awards-honoring-the-best-of-tech-in-indiana/