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If more employers rely on internships to develop new tech talent, the ongoing shortage of tech workers across America could be eased.
Dozens of employers from across the country have started apprenticeship programs through CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech in 2022.
It is a national initiative funded by the US Department of Labor to increase the number of skilled technology workers and expand technology career opportunities for diverse populations.
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About two dozen intermediaries — organizations with skills to help companies create a registered work experience program — have also joined the program.
Internships combine learning and income
Stephanie Veck, senior advisor for leadership at the American Institute for Research (AIR) and Tech Partner Development, explained that registered internships are an “earn and learn” model where businesses partner with a training provider.
“They can do the training themselves, or they can work with a community college, tech boot camp or any other training provider to provide an intern with a learning experience,” she said. “It’s a place where you’re learning on the job and learning in a classroom environment, remotely or onsite.”
One of the key distinguishing features of technology training, she says, is that it’s not a substitute for going to college.
“What we’re saying is, get the internationally recognized credentials you need to succeed in a career in technology that prepares you for college when you’re ready to go to college,” Veck said.
If you already have a college degree and need to train and retrain to enter a particular career path, a technology internship can build on that college education.
“You had to get your feet wet in tech,” she said. “For us, apprenticeships exist alongside college, not with college. I think that’s an important thing for people to realize — it’s never either/or. It’s both. And in a way that works best for the employer and the individual.”
A golden link, finally recognized by IT
Tech is a field that requires even entry-level employees to have skills built through hands-on experience, said Connor Demand-Yewman, founder and CEO of Merit America.
“The challenge is that this kind of experience can be hard to come by before it’s full-time,” he said. “Apprenticeships are the golden link between people at work every day and the eager workforce who want to bring their knowledge to life.”
Internships also help new workers connect with senior workers in the field, allowing them to develop meaningful networks as they advance in their careers, Diemand-Yauman said.
“Hiring a former intern also saves on training time, reducing corporate costs,” he explained. “Companies can devote that time to productive results instead of completely retraining new employees from their first day.”
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Veck pointed out that registered practices in the United States have been very successful for 85 years, but mainly in skilled trades such as construction and manufacturing. They are also picking up steam in the healthcare space. But there are additional challenges, including resistance from some employers who feel the idea is unworkable in the technology space.
“There’s a myth that apprenticeships in skilled trades typically have three to four years of apprenticeships and that they have to last for years,” Veck explains.
AIR, an internship structure developed in partnership with CompTIA, allows up to 15 months of work experience, although it can last up to three years depending on the employer’s requirements.
“One can be involved in help desk support within 15 months,” Veck said. “You will learn 2,000 hours of work experience and 250 to 350 hours of on-the-job classroom training. At the end of this internship, you will graduate with a certificate that is valuable to that employer and is recognized by the industry. For an intern”
What makes that 15-month time frame work from a financial standpoint is that with a registered apprenticeship program, the apprentice is getting paid on a decreasing salary scale and the apprentice is gradually gaining more qualifications, she said.
“They’re effective from day one, but by the time they’re trained, they’re fully qualified and just as effective as anyone doing that specialized job,” Veck said.
Exercises are a good launching pad to tech.
Amanda Richardson, CEO of CoderPad, believes that internships and internships are a great way to get into a tech career.
“The ‘real world’ experience of the players allows candidates to hone their skills,” she says. “Meanwhile, employers benefit from seeing a candidate in action, which can be internships or internships that can turn into full-time roles.”
Also, through internships and internships, candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, Richardson said.
“Ultimately, they can be evaluated based on the quality of their work, not necessarily what school or previous employer logos are on their resumes,” she said. “Employers must receive training.”
While it may be a bit of a departure from the traditional recruiting system, the difference gives employers a chance to stand out and attract candidates that few companies can compete with, says Richardson.
Veck points out that the tech industry doesn’t require everyone to have a computer science degree to get a good job in tech.
“Since it’s a job and you get paid, you learn while doing it, so a registered work experience makes the opportunity accessible to a lot of people,” she says.
This includes non-traditional students – for example, a woman who quit her job to raise a family or a single father who needs to work to support the family but doesn’t want to stay in jobs that don’t take them anywhere.
“Minorities and people with disabilities who don’t think they’ll be successful in tech jobs can enter an internship and demonstrate to themselves and the employer that they have the skills to succeed in tech,” Veck said. “It provides a fairer entry level for everyone than if you went through a very expensive boot camp or you could get these jobs if you already graduated with a college degree.”
Exercises level the playing field
There is an “incredible” lack of ROI transparency in higher education, which is currently seen as a priority in the field of technology, Diemand-Yauman said.
“There are few industries or products in the world that operate like higher education, where you have to make a big investment without knowing if it will work,” he said. “This makes college a huge financial risk for many students and a barrier to pursuing higher education.”
Family income is a big determinant of college attendance, and those from low-income communities are at a greater disadvantage when college is the only path to the field, Diemand-Yauman added.
“Once equitable pathways such as internships are established, underrepresented individuals may have access to unique opportunities once in a while,” he said.
In this way, internships provide a bridge to an IT career path that would otherwise be inaccessible to underrepresented communities.
Additionally, these programs can scale to a wider audience and at a faster pace than the traditional four-year higher education model.
“Internships and skills training programs level the playing field by providing opportunities to learn essential skills and experience while building professional networks,” he said.
About the author
Nathan Eddy is a freelance writer for ITPro Today. He has written for Popular Mechanics, Sales and Marketing Management Magazine, FierceMarkets and CRN, among others. In the year In 2012, he made his first documentary, The Absent Column. He currently lives in Berlin.
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