The Indianapolis Private Industry Council Inc. was formed in 1983 as a result of the federal Job Training Partnership Act. It was charged with directly delivering workforce services to Marion County residents.

After five years of delivering a wide range of services to job seekers, IPIC's leaders created the Indianapolis Network for Employment and Training as an umbrella marketing device to signal the integration of workforce development services.

In 1995, IPIC decided to contract out the day-to-day operations of employment and training services to community-based organizations so that its staff could focus on broad, strategic workforce issues facing Marion County. That positioned IPIC well when, three years later, Congress passed the Workforce Investment Act to replace JTPA. Workforce Investment boards replaced private industry councils across the nation, and their roles shifted from that of direct service provider to policy and planning body for workforce development - the kind of organization that IPIC had chosen to become.

IPIC operates with public and private funds for planning, administration and implementation of its wide array of business and workforce training and job placement initiatives.