Ivy Tech, manufacturer offering degree pathway

By Alex Brown | Inside INdiana Business

Ivy Tech Community College in Fort Wayne has signed an agreement with Columbia City-based manufacturer 80/20 Inc. The deal gives the company's employees the chance to earn college credit with employer-deferred tuition through Ivy Tech's Achieve Your Degree program. 

80/20 employees will be able to enroll in courses beginning this fall. Ivy Tech Fort Wayne will work directly with the students to make sure they remain within the guidelines to earn the deferred tuition. 

"The partnership with Ivy Tech for the Achieve Your Degree program is another great way 80/20 rewards and demonstrates the significance our employees hold," says Patrick Buesching, chief executive officer of 80/20. "It also supports one of our corporate core values of employee development as a key competitive advantage in the marketplace and in the community. We have a ‘pack-your-own-chute’ mentality, and this program promotes that initiative."

Ivy Tech says the partnership not only allows employees to earn a credential or degree, but it also assists the company in skilling up its workforce.

80/20 Inc. manufactures what it calls "The Industrial Erector Set," which is a modular aluminum framing system that can be used for a variety of applications.