If you read Founder Carlos Vazquez’s interview talking about GoSprout’s origin, you know he believes completion Registered Apprenticeships (and the proposed new model called CTE Apprenticeships) is a fantastic way to build a structure to help gets make the journey from at-risk youth to successful professional he accomplished largely with luck and hard work.
But historically, apprenticeship graduation rates are still too low. In this article, we explore some of the reasons.
Apprentices Aren’t Ready
For apprentices whose first experience with a “serious” job is their RAP, it may feel like drinking from a firehose.
There’s the skills to learn, the academic knowledge to memorize, but on top of that, you’re supposed to interact with real coworkers in a serious work environment where real clients may be around as well, all with no experience.
That’s a lot to absorb all at once.
Luckily, GoSprout not only supports RAPs but also pre-apprenticeship programs that secondary school boards can offer to feed students into the local college system-hosted RAPs. These students have already been to the same job sites and started learning about the industry in which their RAP is based when they actually join.
Sponsors, Employers, RTI-Providers, & Journeyworkers Are Struggling
Imagine that as young person, your build up your courage and to try out this new, potentially life-changing choice that impacts your life week on week. It’s called an apprenticeship and its a big committment.
Not only are you studying but you are also working at job sites with people who are already in the work force. Sounds intimidating but also pretty attractive…especially if the alternative is more theoretical learning, possibly financed by student debt.
Now imagine you join one of these programs full of hope but also apprehension. You rearrange your schedule and life to give it the commitment it requires…and then you realize the people administering the program are really stressed.
They mentioned how cumbersome the paperwork is and how tired of excessive emails and spreadsheet maintenance they are. They mention how challenging coordinate is among the stakeholders. They might even mention that this is their last year participating.
Those types of responses can happen in programs that are stilling running with apprenticeship tracking software. Fortunately, GoSprout has done the hard work of systematizing all of that work in an easy-to-use platform that makes compliance and coordination a breeze.
The Apprenticeship Experience Isn’t Great
Gen Z, also known within the industry as The Toolbelt Generation and considered part of The Deskless Worker Movement has a very different approach to work, technology, and getting educated on those two things.
Whereas as past generations found it normal to use #2 pencils on standardized tests, Gen Z doesn’t want to sit down in the first place. They’re also used to apps and video games gamifying anything they are supposed to do.
So why would an apprenticeship program for Gen Z deliver its content like they cater to Baby Boomers?
Luckily, GoSprout offers all the flexibility to deliver courses, track time, and other tasks through the free GoSprout apprentice app. Moreover, we’re building up a library of AR and VR experiences using our knowledge of the Unity engine. We can also create custom AR/VR content for programs.
Can GoSprout Help Your Organization Improve Apprenticeship Completion Rates?
In short, yes. We built GoSprout to help organizations and launch and successfully manage apprenticeship programs in the United States. To us, successfully manage means build a pipeline of qualified graduates, many of who will move straight into salaried jobs along side their journeyworker mentors.
With the right systems in place to support both the apprentices and stakeholders in the cloud already built, we would love to discuss your apprenticeship-related challenges including completion rates and show how we help via a live, guided tour.
Schedule your guided tour with our friendly US-based team at your convenience. We look forward to meeting you!
