It’s National Apprenticeship Week. From tech to trades, here’s why these hands-on training pathways are worth celebrating.
Apprenticeships are on the rise
Thanks to inflation, all of us feel the sting of rising prices. Everything costs more than it used to, and we’re all forced to make difficult choices about what we spend our hard-earned money on. One area where those choices have become harder than ever to make is the price of a college education. According to Gates Foundation research, more and more people are questioning whether they can earn a positive return from making such an investment in higher education.
That is one reason why apprenticeships have reemerged as an increasingly popular alternative for young people to pursue as a way to provide a launchpad for their careers.
“The current model for education, built on a traditional college degree, isn’t working for everyone,” says Sophie Ruddock, Vice President and General Manager of Multiverse North America. “Outcomes are spread inequitably, costs are prohibitive and degrees have little relevance on the modern economy. The idea that education occurs for four years before a student is expected to apply their learning to a job simply doesn't make sense. Often this means that students will have to relearn a skill once they officially enter the workforce.”
Apprenticeships can also provide today’s employers with an alternative solution to skilling and upskilling their employees by helping young people develop the skills employers actually need.
Ruddock’s organization offers apprenticeship programs that help young adults without college degrees to land jobs, where they receive paid, tuition-free training in areas like Software Engineering or Digital Marketing, while applying that learning to real-world roles at a company like Verizon, Box or Cisco.
To help celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Ruddock and I discussed the growing appeal of apprenticeship programs in a time when the ROI of college is in serious question, especially in emerging industries like tech, and why apprenticeships are also great investments for employers.
Beyond the college degree
Pursuing a college degree is a time-honored path to achieving the American Dream. But the rising cost of tuition has given many people pause—and a reason to look at potential alternative paths to acquiring the skills and experience they need to start their careers.
“College is deeply embedded in American culture and seen as the only path to a career by both students and employers,” says Ruddock, pointing to a Gallup poll that found 54% of parents said they want their kids to enroll in college after high school. “College curriculums simply don’t evolve fast enough to keep up with employer needs and that’s one of the reasons we have tech talent shortages.”
Ruddock believes that there needs to be a fundamental shift toward more acceptance of alternative career paths to match talented individuals to great jobs. “This is especially vital as young people become more commercially savvy and question the return on investment of a college degree,” she says. “Conversations are starting to shift to the value of a college degree and to focus on the benefits of skills-based hiring.”
But to make this shift happen faster, we must put aside our biases that only people with college degrees are worth interviewing for open jobs. Screening for a college degree, for example, excludes about two-thirds of Americans who lack a college degree, a practice that disproportionately excludes Black and Hispanic Americans.
“It’s critical that we find alternatives to college that allow young people to reach today’s most sought-after careers,” says Ruddock. “At the same time, businesses are undergoing rapid tech transformation and need a workforce that has the skills and behaviors to meet the moment.”
The upsides of apprenticeships
People who pursue apprenticeships experience several upsides, Ruddock says. For many, the biggest benefit may be the ability to earn money from day one. Many apprentices earn salaries that range between $50,000 to $70,000, and 68% of apprentices are promoted or receive a raise during their apprenticeship.
While apprenticeships have long been associated with the trades like plumbing and electrical work, more and more industries—including tech fields like engineering and analytics—have come to embrace the value of hands-on learning.
“They are training for modern jobs,” says Ruddock, “which addresses the growing disconnect between what employers need and what colleges are teaching.”
Overcoming barriers
One of the most common barriers to widespread acceptance of apprenticeships is that young adults think the tech apprenticeship model is too good to be true—or even a scam.
“They read that there is zero cost for apprentices and that they will be earning a competitive salary and receiving cutting edge, in-demand skills training, and think, ‘What’s the catch?’” says Ruddock.
Another barrier is that we are still in a period of early adoption among employers. Nationwide, we need more employers to create opportunities for jobs and training for young adults.
“This is not just beneficial for the students,” says Ruddock. “Apprenticeships can help employers close skills gaps, reduce hiring costs and increase employee retention. In fact, 94% of employees would stay longer if their company provided more opportunities to learn skills.”
Done well, an apprenticeship program not only helps the apprentice learn core technical skills like JavaScript or mobile-app development, but also empowers apprentices to apply what they learn quickly to real-world projects that can drive revenue, increase productivity or save money on investments.
“Apprenticeships can equip businesses with the skills they need for wide-scale digital transformation and close critical skills gaps,” says Ruddock. “They also create more diverse talent pipelines to build a workforce that represents today’s society.”
Earn and learn; win and win
At a time when there are more job openings than available workers with the skills to fill them, we need to get serious about using apprenticeships to cross this gap for both employees and employers.
While a college degree can still pay off for the careers that truly need it, it’s no longer the only educational option that leads to a rewarding career. When young people or career-transitioning older workers choose apprenticeship and earn while they learn, they win—and so does the organization, community and country.
