Manufacturing News
October 30, 2026
October 30, 2026 · Statewide · Story 3 of 3
ICRF Names Former Superintendent to Lead Construction Workforce Pipeline
The Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation named Dr. Todd Hitchcock, outgoing superintendent of Shelby Eastern Schools and a former carpenter, as its new executive director starting October 1. Hitchcock currently holds the vice president position within the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, giving ICRF a direct relationship with the superintendents who control CTE scheduling and dual-credit agreements statewide.
That relationship arrives at an awkward moment. The Indiana Department of Education downgraded Civil Construction from a high to a moderate funding priority in its 2026-27 career and technical education guidance, the same year Indiana's first INCAP high school apprentice cohort is getting started. Hitchcock is being asked to grow a pathway the state just deprioritized.
- Impact
- Hitchcock's IAPSS vice presidency hands ICRF a direct line to the superintendents who control CTE scheduling and dual-credit agreements (the exact chokepoints that have slowed construction pathway adoption) right as Indiana's INCAP apprenticeship framework seats its first high school cohort for the 2026-27 school year. But the Indiana Department of Education quietly downgraded Civil Construction from 'High' to 'Moderate' funding priority and phased out the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction pathway in its own 2026-27 CTE guidance, meaning Hitchcock will be trying to grow enrollment in a pathway facing a funding cut during the exact transition year he needs to show results.
- Watch
- Outcomes from the first INCAP high school apprentice cohort this school year and whether ICRF secures a larger share of the nearly $19 million in new federal workforce funding announced Oct. 23, 2026.
- For the huddle
With Civil Construction CTE funding downgraded and bigger INCAP connectors like Ascend Indiana and EmployIndy competing for the same school district relationships, should we route our apprenticeship and internship sponsorships through ICRF, or go directly to the larger connectors to make sure our trades pipeline doesn't get crowded out?
Hitchcock's superintendent network is a real asset, but with the state funding priority cut and larger connectors like Ascend Indiana and EmployIndy competing for the same school relationships, compare what each can actually deliver before committing your sponsorship dollars.
Sources
- Former School Superintendent to Lead Efforts to Build Talent Pipeline for Indiana’s Construction Industry · acppubs.com
From the brief, October 30, 2026
- Indiana Launches $10.79 Million ADAPT Grant for Auto Suppliers
- Midwest UAS Test Site Goes Live at Terre Haute
- ICRF Names Former Superintendent to Lead Construction Workforce Pipeline
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