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Tech Council and FortyX80 Announce Apprenti PGH

By Pittsburgh Technology Council

According to the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s State of the Industry Report, southwestern Pennsylvania’s technology industry accounts for nearly 25 percent of the workforce, pays 35 percent of the wages and is continually looking for new talent to grow and innovate.

At the same time, there are many people from underrepresented communities across the region that have not been able to access career opportunities in this employment juggernaut leaving a large, untapped talent pool ready to help. 

In an effort to bridge this gap, FortyX80, the nonprofit arm of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, is launching Apprenti PGH in the summer of 2021 as a unique apprenticeship program that puts apprentices on a straightforward, step-by-step training path  towards a well-paying job in the Pittsburgh region’s technology sector. 

“At Fortyx80, in partnership with Pittsburgh Technology Council, we realized that we need to do more than acquire new talent in Pittsburgh, we need to create it,” said Marie Pelloni, Director of Talent, STEM, & Workforce Innovation Initiatives. “With Apprenti PGH, we will develop a new and diverse pipeline that helps companies successfully scale their talent pool in a way that really makes an impact.”

Apprenti PGH is actively recruiting underrepresented minorities, women, people of color, veterans, displaced and disabled workers — although anyone is eligible to apply. As a model built to fill employers’ needs, this program will combine education and on-the-job training for placement in a well-paying, high-skill occupation. This program also works with tech employers to identify mid-tier jobs ready to be filled by highly competent workers. Apprenti PGH can work with both internal company programs and training partners to fill process gaps to meet apprenticeship guidelines.

…we need to do more than acquire new talent in Pittsburgh, we need to create it.

Apprenti is a trusted national organization building the next generation of tech talent. Since its inception, Apprenti has ignited a new methodology to develop untapped talent and strengthen the tech ecosystem nationwide. Focused on the tech sector, Apprenti uses the time-tested model of apprenticeship to create an efficient path to qualified and certified tech talent. 

“When we enlarge the source of talent to go beyond the existing educational pathways, we gain access to a more broad and diverse talent pool,” said Pelloni.

Apprenti uses research-based candidate screening measuring math and logic skills to help ensure student success in the program.  As a result, employers receive the benefits of higher retention rates with its “train and retain model.” 

“Apprenti is the sole IT Sector Lead for U.S. Department of Labor, and when employers engage as partners, they grow as a leader in this space as well,” said Maria Fattore, Fortyx80 Director of Entrepreneurship  and Workforce Innovation.

“We have the investment of an incredible community advisory committee that will offer their insight, guidance, business and community partnerships to help ensure that Apprenti PGH is a success,” said Pelloni.

Apprenti PGH’s advisors include: 

Claye Greene, Chief Executive Officer | TechBlue, Inc.

Martin Shepherd, CEO | Arch Access Control 

Haley Maddox Daniels, Technology CAO | BNY Mellon

John Pippy, President and Founder | PGS TEK, LLC

Ryan Green, Co-Founder, CEO | Gridwise

Dan Lavallee, Director of UPMC Social Impact

Sylvia Diez, EVP, Regional Managing Director, Institutional Asset Management | PNC

Bootcamp Training Partners include Tech Elevator and Academy Pittsburgh. Apprenti PGH’s first cohort will focus on Software Analyst and Web Developer positions. Future cohorts from the list of occupations below will be added to reflect employer partner’s’needs, including

• Cloud Operations Specialist 1 & 2

• Network Security Administrator

• Digital Marketing Specialist

• CRM/CMS Developer

• Cybersecurity Analyst

• Network Operations Developer (DevOps)

• IT Business Analyst

• Systems Administrator

• Technical Sales Specialist

• Data Center Technician/IT Support

For more information on becoming an employer partner, please contact Maria Fattore at mariaf@fortyx80 org. For more information on becoming a community organization partner or apprentice, contact Marie Pelloni at mpelloni@pghtech.org.