So much happening right now, folks!
First and foremost, a big thank you to everyone who has helped bring GoSprout together. We’ve been so lucky to have an amazing team, advisors, and forward-thinking apprenticeship employers, sponsors, and RTI-providers who early-adopted our apprenticeship management software, which has since become so much more.
To celebrate our success over the last year, we want to recap some of what we learned (and yes, we there was so much we couldn’t include). So here we go:
The Federal Government Is All In
Set aside one of the most dramatic Presidential election cycles in modern history, and you’ll find call kinds of great news about leveraging the power of apprenticeships to solve our nation’s talent gap and help create equity.
The Department of Labor has made a number of major announcements in conjunction with The White House.
Federal contracts will favor firms with registered apprenticeships. Tax credits already favor firms with registered apprenticeships.
“Youth Apprenticeship” has its own week and encompasses students who might not be old enough to participate in a registered apprenticeship.
It Takes a Village but Sponsors Can Carry Much of the Load
If you read GoSprout’s origin story, you know that Founder Carlos Vazquez made the journey from low-income neighborhood in The Bronx to tech CEO with hard work but also luck in meeting a number of mentors that were working largely on their own.
A registered apprenticeship wasn’t even a known concept to him when he was breaking into the education space, even though he was heavily focused on programs that build equity.
Fast forward to today and the GoSprout team has developed so much expertise in the field.
Yes, launching and managing a program can appear intimidating.
Yes, stakeholders need to work together.
But, apprenticeship sponsors are often the folks that have the biggest ability to coordinate programs on behalf of other stakeholders.
And we’ve worked hard to implement new features that already make it even easier for a sponsor to coordinate on behalf of employers and schools and keep and eye on requirements like OJT and RTI hours.
Now GoSprout sponsors can manage user access, progress reporting, set curriculum, and manage many workflows on behalf of employers and offer assistance directly to apprentices and journeyworkers as needed.
Department of Labor Visits Aren’t So Scary…Even for New Programs
For people that know the benefits of apprenticeships inside and out, the historical challenges are also well-documented.
Because they are regulated and require a village to coordinate, keeping paperwork up to date before dedicated software existed required lots and lots of spreadsheets and correspondence.
As you can imagine, it was hard to feel confident that your paperwork was in order.
But now even new programs can hit the ground running either as an employer acting as their own sponsor or working with a sponsor who may facilities apprenticeships with multiple employers in the community. Atlanta’s Radiance Solar launched three apprenticeship tracks in early 2024 as their own sponsor and passed their DoL visit with flying colors.
To Solve Workforce Challenges, Apprenticeships Need to Be Attractive to Gen-Z
If you’re expecting the latest generation entering the workforce have the same values as Gen-X and Millennials, it’s time for a refresher.
Gen-Z grew up with massive computation power at their fingertips. They were also hugely impacted by Covid.
So how can employers who have critical shortages for electrical, welding, computer science, and other skills create an attractive program? It turns out The Toolbelt Generation, who also are part of the Deskless Worker Movement, are part of the way there already.
They know how painful it can be to work off student debt. They also particularly find the idea of working in an office appealing. So what if you add the opportunity to train and work with augmented and virtual reality to your program that lead to a job where a worker will be on their feet and working in a job that is not likely to be disintermediated by AI?
Now you’ve got the program you need to close your staffing shortages and future proof your firm.
Chances of Career Success Go Up the Earlier Exposure to Real Work Starts
We covered how Miami-Dade is a leader in pioneering a new model where community colleges partner with local high schools to create a bridge to a tuition-free post-secondary degree while earning wages throughout.
The term is “pre-apprenticeship” and GoSprout now has a module for supporting these types of programs. High schools can offer both course and on the job experience to in-demand career paths. Graduates of these high schools can then transition seamlessly into registered apprenticeships that expand on that training at local community colleges.
Imagine entering the workforce at 22 with as much as six years of computer science experience…those types of outcomes are starting to be possible. Miami EdTech is taking its capabilities nationwide as AdvancedCS, a super sponsor making it possible for employers across the nation to offer IT and CS apprenticeships and can integrate both high schools and colleges.
We’re Just Getting Started (Collectively)
Momentum is real. We’re so exited to feel like critical mass is building around the apprenticeship model. We’re seeing funding and press increasing week on week.
Here at GoSprout, we’re excited to hear over and over that we have truly streamlined their apprenticeship launch and management duties. And they’re sharing the great news in press releases, trade groups, and with community groups, who are all looking at how to launch new apprentice tracks and programs.
We can’t wait to see what year-2 brings…stay tuned!
