Workforce strategy and apprenticeship expert
Developing & Expanding Registered Apprenticeships | Apprenti
Apprenti is an organization that bridges the talent and diversity gaps in the technology industry by adapting the time-tested model of apprenticeship to meet evolving workforce needs. Apprenti uniquely combines technical education and on-the-job training to place highly motivated people into IT roles, regardless of educational background, with a committment to providing opportunities to underrepresented communities.
Tasked by the US Department of Labor with expanding operations from their headquarters in Seattle, WA, Apprenti sought to implement its tech-focused RAPs across the country. Accordingly, I launched Apprenti’s programs in Massachusetts, creating the state’s first ever Registered Apprenticeship for IT roles. This included onboarding employers, managing apprentice recruitment and retention, and interfacing with state and federal agencies. I also fostered relationships with a wide variety of stakeholder groups, including industry partners, technical training providers, community-based organizations, and the apprentices themselves.
The Challenge
Enable companies of various sizes and industries to effectively train and retain tech talent through apprenticeship.
The Outcome
A set of tools and trainings - customized for different stakeholder groups - on how to support apprentices and develop long-term program sustainability.
Our employer partners -- which included regional giants such as Wayfair, Harvard University IT, VMWare, and PTC -- were enthusiastic about hiring tech talent who would both bolster and diversify their tech workforce. While we had enormous support from a variety of stakeholder groups, we also had to ensure the program was delivered with a high degree of fidelity and consistency across all of these divisions.
To better understand the needs of our employer partners, I led roundtable discussions with talent acquisition, HR, executive leadership, and hiring managers. From these engagements, we learned employers needed a concise set of checkpoints for program implementation, as well as individualized training to better understand the core tenants of apprenticeship and how they could support apprentices. Furthermore, with the vast majority of apprentices coming from diverse backgrounds, employers wanted additional insight into DEI best practices.
In response, I created a set of guides, tools, and learning experiences to meet the needs of our employer partners. This included an Apprenticeship Roadmap, a simple, single-page guide that summarized the key programmatic checkpoints and contained hyperlinked reference documents. Additionally, I designed an Apprenticeship Training Series that equipped company leadership, hiring managers, and other key stakeholders with critical information about effectively managing apprentices. As part of the Training Series, participants were provided insight into disability accommodation and fostering a sense of belonging for apprentices of diverse backgrounds.
The Impact
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Over 100 apprentices placed at more than a dozen companies, including Wayfair, VMware, and Mass General Brigham
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State legislators proposed $240 M of additional funding for apprenticeship programs
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Tools & trainings adopted for use across all Apprenti markets
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Over 80% of apprentices retained by their host companies after one year, far outpacing the average tenure of a tech employee
Designing and delivering these guides, tools, and learning experiences tangibly improved our programmatic outcomes. Our employers retained their apprentices at a far greater-than-industry average, and those apprentices saw their salary more than double as compared their wage prior to the program. Our work in Massachusetts was recognized by Governor Charlie Baker and State Secretary of Labor Rosalin Acosta, who pledged to contribute more than $240 million to expand Massachusetts' apprenticeship programs. Finally, these products became Apprenti’s gold standard and were adopted for all partnerships nationwide. As a result, dozens of employers and thousands of apprentices have gained additional support.