ApprentiPGH Connects Underserved People to Tech Careers

How do we break out of the box that defines the parameters around traditional employment? Job seekers are struggling to find a way to meet the requirements employers are placing in their job listings, and employers are struggling to retain the talent needed to sustain and grow their businesses. All the while, the lack of diversity in certain occupations looms overhead.

So, where do we go from here?

As employers, do you continue to raise the salaries of the qualified workforce to attempt to be appealing to a potential eligible applicant? As job seekers, do you continue to remain without employment or take a job that you are overqualified for, possibly without the ability to make the sustainable wages you seek to advance in life. I am here to say that there is another option, and that is through apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship, unlike an internship, is built in the skilled labor industry to scale candidates to promote growth and long-term retention. At ApprentiPGH, through FortyX80, the nonprofit arm of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, we have taken the model of apprenticeship and customized it to fit tech roles such as Software Analysts, IT Business Analysts and Cyber Security Analysts. These positions are being afflicted by the exact employment hurdles I mentioned previously.

So, what is our process? Our program is employer-driven, which means we connect up-front with the employer to see if they have any openings for roles such as software analysts. We go out into the communities to recruit the underserved and underrepresented populations that have been traditionally left behind. 

Next, we source and vet our candidates through our assessment and screen the candidates through our national partners. Depending on how many openings the employer has, we place qualified candidates in front of them to interview. The employer hires the candidate(s) of their choice based on whether they feel the candidate has a personality and work ethic that fits their company culture. We then connect with funding sources to pay the apprentice’s tuition. This is at no cost to the apprentice or the employer. We ask that the company hiring the apprentices pay a placement fee and pay the apprentices a livable wage during training. The apprentice will be in technical training for 14 weeks before transitioning into on-the-job training for 2,000 hours. During this time, the apprentice will receive two wage increases as they progress. They begin at 60% of the final salary for the first 1,000 hours and transition to 70% for the last 1,000 hours before moving into that full salary.

ApprentiPGH is adamant about changing the workforce culture and the mindset about traditional employment. You can truly feel the weight of the lives touched through our program. Just take Rigel, for instance, who is one of our amazing apprentices.

In a portion of her fantastic testimonial, she write, “I felt as though I was moving backwards, doing a disservice to the work, accomplishments and dreams of the family that paved the way before I arrived. I couldn’t manage to get my foot into the door in any place where I could engage with work that would truly utilize my knowledge, unique perspectives, investigative spirit, creativity and ability to connect with others. Though I applied for opportunities and networked, it felt like being on the outside, looking in, seeing all these industries where I knew I could contribute meaningfully and lacking an entry point into the field. There was always some barrier. I needed a helping hand, a doorway, a path, a bridge.” 

ApprentiPGH is that helping hand, a doorway and bridge to connect employers and candidates alike. If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact me at TIrwin@fortyX80.org.