Accenture Launches Massachusetts Apprentice Network

Last Wednesday a group of Boston-based business leaders came together to launch what is now being called the Massachusetts Apprentice Network which will work to create a pipeline of careers at employers for individuals who do not have a college degree.

The new initiative builds upon a program created in 2016 at Accenture's Chicago office where the company worked in partnership with major employers in the city to help non-traditional candidates receive job opportunities. Founding members of the network hope to create around 1,000 apprenticeships within the next five years across five different employers across the greater Boston area.

“There has been a seismic shift from the historical [approach]: you need a four-year degree, it has to be from this type of institution, you have to have a certain GPA. Those things do not necessarily make the best type of employee anymore. There are lots of things that can shape an individual’s success within an organization.”

Maura Quinn, Assistant President at Liberty Mutual

The introduction of this program will jumpstart a new wave of well-paying jobs that are designed to provide skills and instruction and lead to a full-time position after a set period. What apprenticeships offer is an opportunity for people without college degrees or for those who are trying to switch careers a chance to break into new industries and receive a well-paying job at the same time. As these new opportunities continue to pop up the state's talent pools will grow and worker shortages will be alleviated.

This new apprenticeship was launched in part because Pallavi Verma Accenture's Senior Managing Director for their Boston office recently moved in early 2020 to the area from Chicago. Since then she has helped usher in the new program. The concept was originally launched in Chicago after then-mayor Rahm Emanuel called on big employers to hire more workers from nontraditional backgrounds or underrepresented communities. More than 70 Chicago-area companies have participated since.