Problem:

In many industries, apprenticeships have become the optimal way to jumpstart your career. In the last few years, it has been recognized that students greatly benefit from a project-based learning environment that apprenticeships allow for. Thus, programs have begun to emerge offering youth apprenticeships in fields such as aerospace manufacturing and electrical engineering, with students being able to achieve industry-level jobs immediately after graduation. 

Currently, this type of apprenticeship is far less prevalent for careers in the Information Technology space because the established career path involves getting a college degree then entering the workforce. However, in the Seattle Area alone, there are thousands of unfilled tech positions in a rapidly growing market. It is becoming more apparent that the standard job pathway is not sufficient to create the needed workforce. In order to succeed and thrive in the global economy, tech companies need to start investing in creating/fostering their workforce. For these reasons, we see great benefit in reducing the barriers to entry for companies seeking to build apprenticeships in the IT space.

Solution: DSFA Youth Apprenticeships

To remedy this, we are working on establishing a youth apprenticeship pipeline. We are developing the DSFA Youth Apprenticeship Program which will consist of 2000 hours of on-the-job training in various IT fields, namely Web Development, Data Science and Application Development. As required by apprenticeships, we are also developing 144 hours of classroom work to support the students in their apprenticeship.

Students get hands-on experience of what it’s like to work in a company as early as high school, all while learning the necessary skills needed to succeed in their career. Students working as apprentices often come from underserved backgrounds, and so they may also benefit from the financial support provided by an apprenticeship. Students will also gain both high school and college credit for this internship. 

We believe the key to starting an apprenticeship program is convincing the industry that it is worth investing in. To establish this trust, we plan to lead by example, creating the curriculum for other companies to use, and offering our own youth apprenticeships every year as a proof of concept. If you’re interested, please contact us at ritu@computingforall.org .