Indianapolis – Governor Mike Pence and Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Commissioner Steven J. Braun today announced a new partnership with TechPoint Foundation for Youth (TPF4Y) which will allow elementary schools across the state the opportunity to receive free robotics kits to use for afterschool programs. This partnership, which also includes VEX Robotics, NASA, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and the REC Foundation, will introduce Hoosier fourth and fifth grade students to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) via a first-of-its-kind robotics program for elementary school students.

“Introducing students to STEM in elementary school has a positive impact on academic performance, and increases the likelihood that they will consider pursuing STEM degrees and careers,” said Governor Pence. “This innovative program will engage thousands of young Hoosiers in STEM education and inspire our state’s science and industry leaders of tomorrow.”

All public and private elementary schools in Indiana are eligible to apply, and 400 schools will be selected for participation during the inaugural year of the program (2016-2017 school year), with an additional 400 schools being selected during the 2017-2018 school year.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this exciting opportunity to expose more young Hoosiers to the hands-on learning that robotics programming provides,” said Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TPF4Y. “The Governor’s commitment to building the STEM workforce pipeline is a real investment in our workforce of tomorrow and enables educators to prepare students for the state’s current and future in-demand jobs.”

The new statewide program builds upon the successful IndyVRC program. IndyVRC was established in 2013, under the guidance of former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, and sought to expose more Indianapolis high school students to STEM education. Due to the success of the robotics programs in Marion County, DWD and TPF4Y are confident this model can be replicated and scaled to serve elementary school students statewide.

“Indiana DWD was eager to partner with these visionaries in the STEM world,” said Commissioner Steven J. Braun.  “The program will help to create a comprehensive STEM program that will inspire the next generation of Hoosier innovators. As someone who comes from the tech sector, I am thrilled to see Hoosier students being introduced to STEM in new and unique ways.  It is not only vital to the future of our state and our workforce, but also expands the futures of these young Hoosiers.”

Utilizing funding appropriated by the General Assembly for innovations in career and technical education and workforce development, the goal of the program is to build top-notch STEM programs across the state that excite and inspire students to pursue high-wage, high-demand career paths in STEM fields.

For more information on the application process, please contact George Giltner atgeorge@techpointyouth.org.

IL for www.theindianalawyer.com

cUber Technologies Inc. resolved the biggest threat to its business by settling with California drivers suing to be treated more like traditional employees, a move that could have broad-ranging implications for companies across the sharing economy.

The agreement calls for Uber to pay as much as $100 million to drivers in California and Massachusetts and allows them to solicit tips from riders, but keeps them classified as contract workers instead of formal employees, according to statements by a lawyer for the drivers and the company.

With a valuation of $62.5 billion, Uber is the biggest firm in the sharing economy where a fight has been brewing over how companies classify workers. The settlement could guide other companies in the gig economy trying to address worker unrest.

The definitions of employees and contractors have grown blurry in the sharing economy, which is caught in a hazy zone of laws and regulations written decades ago. Worker advocates remain divided over whether those who labor in the app-enabled casual workforce demand a new legal category. The California drivers’ lawsuit was one of the biggest and most advanced challenges to Uber’s ride-sharing business model, which is still under attack worldwide by the taxi industry, local governments, unions and even passengers.

“Uber avoids the collision and an adverse finding that these folks are employees,” James Evans, a lawyer who defends companies against employment suits, said about Uber’s efforts to settle the matter. “They leave it an open issue, and that’s desirable from their standpoint. This maintains the status quo, without figuring out if these people should be treated differently or not.”

The class-action lawsuit, set for trial June 20 in San Francisco, had grown to cover about 240,000 current and former Uber drivers in California over claims they were wrongly classified as independent contractors and should be reimbursed for expenses and tips. Those claims under state law would have totaled hundreds of millions of dollars if the world’s biggest ride-hailing service lost at trial. Additional penalties against the company might have added several hundred-million dollars more to the cost of a losing verdict.

Under the agreement filed Thursday, which requires court approval, Uber will initially pay $84 million to the drivers, with another $16 million contingent on Uber’s valuation continuing to grow in coming years, according to driver attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan’s statement. A quarter of the payout will go toward attorney fees, according to Liss-Riordan.