Industry News

Apprenticeships are no longer for just the blue collar trades

Historically many have associated the apprenticeship model with occupations such as carpentry welding and even firefighters yet ever since the start of the pandemic tech companies across the country are enlisting apprentices as a second pathway to a skilled worker talent pool.

Elizabeth Earin

Elizabeth Earin

As Head of Marketing at ApprentiScope, Elizabeth Earin helps bridge the gap between workforce innovation and communication, empowering organizations to better share the value and impact of apprenticeship programs. With more than 20 years in marketing strategy and a personal connection to the skilled trades through her husband’s career as an electrician, she’s passionate about expanding access to career pathways beyond the traditional four-year degree.

Historically many have associated the apprenticeship model with occupations such as carpentry welding and even firefighters yet ever since the start of the pandemic tech companies across the country are enlisting apprentices as a second pathway to a skilled worker talent pool.

“Many experts see apprenticeships as the best way to match people looking for jobs with those that are in demand. A U.S. Department of Commerce study in 2016 assessed the rate of return on 13 apprenticeships in a variety of occupations. A program that trained medical assistants in a New England hospital system had a 40 percent return on every dollar invested. Another for machinists run by Siemens USA earned 50 percent. The 13 sponsoring companies or organizations were unanimous in their support of apprenticeships and cited increased productivity, reduced turnover and better soft skills among those they trained. Almost no one reported losing apprentices to poaching by competitors”.

New employers are constantly starting to explore the space by looking into building a talent pipeline. After seeing a significant increase in vacancy rate amount IT professionals, a handful of agencies started to partner with local schools to push for a new pilot apprenticeship program that would focus on learning to write code. Companies have found that people are highly interested in these types of programs as they’ve seen over 300 applicants.

Read full story here: https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/apprenticeships-arent-just-carpenters-and-firefighters-anymore

Latest Articles

Why Employers Should Stop Waiting for Perfect Candidates

Why Employers Should Stop Waiting for Perfect Candidates

Learn why the future belongs to employers who build talent, not search for perfection—and how apprenticeship unlocks potential others overl...

A Taste of Talent Development: Lessons on Registered Apprenticeship from Costco

A Taste of Talent Development: Lessons on Registered Apprenticeship from Costco

Costco has built its empire in large part by giving out samples – here's why it could work for apprenticeships too.

Apprenticeship and Today’s Skills-Based Hiring Trend

Apprenticeship and Today’s Skills-Based Hiring Trend

See how Apprenticeships align with today’s skills-based hiring trends, creating stronger job matches, faster skill development, and long-te...