Digital apprenticeships: The lifeblood of the digital economy

A brief history of apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are not new. They date as far back as the 18th century B.C.

The Egyptians and Babylonians organized training to maintain a sufficient number of craftsmen.

In Rome, craftsmen were slaves. This would eventually be reversed when craftsmen became more independent to protect their trades.

In the Middle Ages, craft guilds were formed. They were headed by the master craftsmen who essentially housed his apprenticeships. This would create the view that apprentices were similar to kinship.

Apprenticeships lasted up to 7 years and afterward the apprentice would become a “journeyman”. This “journeyman” would spend time working on a piece and eventually submit his piece for approval. If this piece were approved the “journeyman” would be accepted to become a master craftsman. He would then set up his own shop and train apprentices.

A new day for digital apprenticeships

The basis of this newsletter was going to be the lack of digital apprenticeships.

But as I began to do more research and dive deeper into the subject, I started to see that there is a change of guard in the approach to digital apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship growth in America is starting to move in an upward trajectory.

It seems that as college becomes more unaffordable and the need for more digital workers are growing, new ways of training for these digital tasks (apprenticeships) are growing.

We love to see it.

Why digital apprenticeships are important

Beyond the fact that apprenticeships are a way for prospective job candidates to get real-world experience, apprenticeships are also a more cost-effective route for those priced out of the more expensive college route.

Let us not forget that some of the world’s greatest producers started out as apprentices (Leonardo Da Vinci, Milton Hershey before he started Hershey, Robert Wood Johnson, before founding Johnson and Johnson).

Not only do apprenticeships make way for job opportunities but they also give the real-world knowledge needed to propel one to their own ventures (similar to the above examples).

Growth of apprenticeships

As I stated above, contrary to my initial belief, apprenticeships are growing.

According to Reach Capital, there’s been a 75% growth in apprenticeships since 2011.

In 2020, there were 636,000 active registered apprentices.

2021 also saw an uptick in Google searches for “apprenticeships”.

What’s needed to continue the growth

For apprenticeships to actually work there needs to be a collective effort.

Employers, community-based organizations, and higher-ed institutions have to step up.

Employers are the key pieces in making sure that there is a landing spot for apprentices. And they are apparently becoming increasingly open to the apprenticeship approach.

This comes from a desire for tech companies to control their hiring funnel.

Where do we go from here?

As the educational barriers continue to be broken down, adopting the apprenticeship model will be crucial in the startup world.

Yes, as of 2023, tech is in a downturn but when things pick up and the demand for tech workers increases there will need to be companies and platforms ready to step up and implement the apprenticeship model.