Slides for the presentation I'll be giving in DC for a tech inclusion event.

1. Developing
Software
Developers
A story about apprenticeship programs
by @DaveHoover

2. My Story
A child and family therapist from 1996-2000
Learned HTML in 1999
Joined Edventions in 2000, learned Perl to keep
my job
Started “apprenticing” in 2002
Wrote a book about “apprenticing” in 2005
Started Obtiva’s apprenticeship program in 2007
Grew the program at Groupon in 2011-2012
Friday was my last day at Groupon

3. Finally
published
in 2009

4. Why apprenticeship?
Mainstream hiring models are too narrow
Untold thousands of high potential, low credential,
underemployed people available
Grow people into your culture
Engenders loyalty in both your apprentices and
your mentors
Seeds a culture of learning inside your teams

5. Viable Cultures of
Learning?

6. Ideal Competency
Continuum

7. How does it work?
An experienced practitioner, willing to mentor
A team and project, within reach
Emphasis on culture over curriculum, surrounded
by growth
Contributing in the trenches
Pet project for safe exploration
Structured feedback loops at multiple levels

8. Results
From Obtiva, Groupon, Hashrocket, 8th Light
58 apprentices
54 succeeded, 93% success rate
80% still with the companies after 5 years
Starting salary: $73k (Chicago, Jacksonville)
Age range: 19-42, typically early/mid-20’s

9. Lessons Learned
Timeboxing into milestones
Scheduled decision points
1:1 ratio, 1:1 relationship
Organic curriculum
Still need to crack the inclusion nut

10. Next steps
Critically high US un/under-employment for those
under age 25
50% of US employers cannot fill skilled roles
Goal: Help start 1000 apprenticeship programs
inside of businesses and organizations across the
country
Paper:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/apprentice.us/Apprenti
ceship-Programs.pdf

11. Read this.
Thanks for
listening.
@DaveHoover