Technology Apprenticeship Programs Are Helping Single Moms, Vets, Everyone
Tech is no longer just for the “super smart” and Technology Apprenticeship programs are here to help!
When you think about technology most people consider it one of those fields that only the “super smart” can work in. A lot of people think, “I need a 4-year degree or some kind of advanced computer science class and an advanced degree in Quantum Mathematics to land a job. With the skills gap becoming a growing problem along with the threat by the Trump Administration to the H1-B Visa program preventing foreigners from gaining employment in the U.S., it’s no secret that Technology Apprenticeship programs are becoming more popular.
If you thought that you needed years of IT experience and a ton of degrees to break into the Tech industry…
I’m here to tell you… You don’t.
In fact, most of the major Technology companies and social networking companies that you use today are looking to help bring more people into the IT workforce because of the lack of skilled IT talent. They are doing this through company sponsored Technology Apprenticeship programs and most Tech companies, if not all, should be taking a leadership role in helping the U.S. remain competitive.
This means that you won’t need a background in computers, a heavy long-winded resume, and years of experience. Companies are feeling the pinch in hiring talent to manage their forever growing IT landscape and they are promoting these programs for a very good reason.
Tech, like most other careers i.e. law and medicine for example, are career fields where the barrier to entry has certain intellectual and cognitive requirements. Yes, you have to be somewhat smart, willing to learn, and the ability to develop a technical mindset.
These fields require a certain amount of intellect and analytical thinking to be able to understand how all of the pieces fit together and how to analyze and troubleshoot problems. But unlike law or the medical field, in Tech ANYONE can self-train and become an expert in any genre of IT.
With the accessibility of the Internet and sites like YouTube, Udemy, and Coursera, there isn’t a shortage of resources available for anyone interested in training to get a foot hold in the IT industry from the comfort of their home.
According to code.org an estimated 500,000 unfilled computer science jobs currently exist across the U.S. When you compare that to the almost 65,000 Computer Science students that graduated last year into the workforce I think you can see where this is becoming a problem for the Tech industry and the country as a whole.
We have more Tech jobs than we do bodies to fill them!
So what are some of your favorite social media platforms doing about this?
There is one notable company that is working to bridge the skills gap in IT while increasing diversity in it’s ranks.
That company is LinkedIn.
In 2017 LinkedIn established Reach, an engineering apprenticeship program targeted specifically at individuals with no technical skills. This would include just about anyone from any background–moms, veterans, post office delivery folks, anyone.
The goal here is to help bring more people into the Technology fold that do not have any previous skills, training, or background in Tech while diversifying the workforce at LinkedIn.
To give you an idea of WHO this program is attracting, a former NFL kicker Derek Dimke who previously went through one of LinkedIn’s Apprenticeship programs, currently works as a Relationship Manager for the company in the Chicago area.
Other companies are also following suit. Twitter launched an engineering program aimed at women and minorities and Amazon announce earlier this year that they were investing $700 million to train one-third of its U.S. workforce in areas such as cloud and machine learning.
These programs have graduated a very large number of individuals that previously had no technical background at all. A recent report from Course Report shows that the popularity of online coding bootcamps has produced more than 15,000 graduating students in the United States over the past 4 years. With higher paying jobs in abundance in the Tech sector it makes perfect sense to consider switching careers at a time when the opportunity is ripe and the demand for talent is high!
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