COLUMBUS, Ind., November 14, 2018: LHP Engineering Solutions (LHP), and Ivy Tech Community College - Indiana’s largest public post-secondary institution - are proud to announce a partnership with the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA). This partnership will assist American veterans with hands-on training and career development in the automotive space. LHP’s mission is to grow the worldwide talent pool of highly qualified controls engineers. In doing so, since its inception in 2013, LHP and Ivy Tech have helped bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace by delivering hands-on boot camp training to over 600 students and engineering professionals.
LHP has provided hands-on training for master’s level engineers who come from all around the world. In 2017, LHP welcomed its first U.S. Military veteran, and the results exceeded expectations. Albert Frempong, a 6-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and graduate from IUPUI, participated in LHP’s Fundamentals of Automotive Functional Safety Controls Systems boot camp. Upon completing the program, Frempong and his classmates were awarded a Certificate of Mastery from the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE), a global leader in technical learning and credentialing for the mobility industry.
Before Joining LHP, Frempong gained direct experience working on military-grade engines and systems in the Marine Corps. However, Frempong credits LHP as the reason he progressed in his career after leaving the military, saying, “LHP brilliantly bridged the gap between student needs and employer expectations in the automotive industry and opened the right doors to get back into my career.” Since his completion of LHP, Albert has accepted a position as an application and field engineer working on transportation defense technology.
Frempong’s success spurred a partnership with the IDVA, whose mission, since its establishment in 1945, has remained focused on aiding and assisting Hoosier veterans and their qualified family members or survivors. According to Matt Vincent, Deputy Director of the IDVA, “partnerships such as this are instrumental in the success of veterans after serving in the military. We continuously cross paths with organizations that are looking to help military veterans get their foot in the door of industries they may not have known before. At the same time, for veterans that have field experience and knowledge of the automotive industry, due to their military experience, programs such as this are the cherries on top.” IDVA is incredibly proud of Albert Frempong’s success and hopes that many more veterans take advantage of the programs offered by LHP. “We look forward to continuing and growing our partnership with LHP.”
LHP’s CEO, Dave Glass, founded LHP in 2001 and has since cultivated a vision to change the future of the automotive space. Glass recognizes the importance of American jobs and growth within the United States automotive industry. According to Glass, “We are very pleased that our partnerships with Ivy Tech and IDVA will allow us to train Indiana veterans to attain the skills necessary to secure high-paying jobs to fill the thousands of positions that Indiana companies currently have open. We are extremely confident that our innovative hands-on technical training will help provide countless veterans with the skills to secure these jobs. It is truly a win-win proposition for both our Hoosier veterans and Hoosier employers.”
LHP partners with Ivy Tech through the college’s Columbus campus, which neighbors LHP in the city’s airpark. The Ivy Tech Columbus contributions to LHP include a curriculum of leadership, job placement, and communication taught by one of the college’s instructors. Ivy Tech also helps link Hoosier veterans to the training.
Chris Lowery, Ivy Tech Vice President of Workforce Development, added, “Ivy Tech could not be more excited to work with our partner LHP and the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs to provide technical training to our Indiana veterans. The number one issue for our Indiana employers, who have thousands of open jobs, is to hire highly-skilled employees, and yet there simply are not enough potential employees to fill these needs. Our partnership with LHP will provide critical technical training to our veterans so they can fill many of these open positions with Indiana employers. Ivy Tech and LHP have been partners for many years, and now partnering with IDVA for the benefit of our veterans will provide precisely the type of innovative technical training Indiana needs in order to continue to make this the greatest state in which to do business.”
LHP’s approach has been to form partnerships that bring together the best of industry, education, and government in order to achieve a common goal. According to Zach McClellan, LHP’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, “At LHP, we often see ourselves as the glue that can bring together various stakeholders to achieve a bigger and more impactful goal than any one of us could achieve individually. I can’t think of any more worthy goal than one that provides a benefit for Indiana veterans while offering a solution for Indiana-based automotive employers.”
SAE International provides a Certificate of Mastery to all learners who successfully complete LHPU’s Automotive Functional Safety Controls Systems training and final exam. Kevin Perry, SAE’s Director of Professional Development, commented, “SAE is thrilled to be part of an effort to extend this important training to the military veteran population in Indiana. Helping the mobility industry to address its workforce development needs by credentialing a new group of capable practitioners aligns perfectly with SAE’s mission. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to add value.”
LHP, Ivy Tech, and SAE would like to thank the U.S. Military and all who serve, for sacrificing their freedom to give Americans theirs. We would like to especially thank the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs for the opportunity to work so closely with the men and women of the United States Military, and we look forward to supporting our veterans, their families, and Indiana employers.
“We are grateful for the opportunities this partnership offers our Hoosier veterans,” Ivy Tech Columbus Chancellor, Steven Combs, said. “We look forward to continuing to partner with LHP to provide the best educational pathways for the LHP boot camps.”