In 2023 LSA Technology Services made a strategic move to sustain their talent pipeline and recruit a more diverse population. They partnered with the Michigan branch of Apprenti, a national non-profit organization founded in Seattle in partnership with tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, to expand and diversify the talent pool in technology.
Apprenti offers their apprentices dedicated training, certifications, and on-the-job training to jump start a career in technology. Apprenti offers employers a new talent pipeline that is designed to build talent in-house for key roles with high turnover or challenging hiring.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts the computer and information technology industry will add roughly 668,000 jobs by 2030 for a 13.4% increase. The State of Michigan saw a 60% increase in IT job postings in 2023, and predicted a 5% (or higher) drop in high school graduation rates in the next decade. Together, these trends mean that IT leaders need to become more intentional about recruitment, hiring, and retention.
LSA Technology Services partnered with Apprenti after hiring managers experienced several failed searches due to regional competition and saw routine turnover in several support positions (e.g., service desk and desktop support). The desire was to work with Apprenti on entry level roles with frequent openings or growing skill areas and roles that were yielding failed searches or poor applicant pools.
According to Cathy Curley, LSA Chief Information Officer, “Our apprenticeship program is a critical pipeline for us to sustain staffing in core operational positions, while creating growth and development opportunities for people who may not have considered working in higher education technology. Our apprentices have professional experience outside of technology that, combined with their new knowledge and skills, makes us a better and stronger team to serve our LSA community.”
In 2023, LSA Technology Services started the apprenticeship program for two Desktop Support Associate positions on the Instructional Computing and Hardware Lifecycle teams. Erich Suddendorf is supervising both apprentices, Kevin Brownlee and Riyadh-LaBresha Warren, who were selected as the first LSA Technology Services Apprentices last winter. They went through five weeks of classroom training and 25 weeks of on-the-job training. They started their role on campus in April 2023 and will be with LSA Technology Services through April 2024. During this time they will be strongly encouraged to use their experience to apply for open positions in the organization this fall and winter. In 2024, LSA Technology Services looks forward to expanding and running a second round of the program, hiring more apprentices on other teams to supplement our service desk and web and application development services.
Curley, Suddendorf, and Research Computing and Infrastructure Director, Amy Peters partnered with Apprenti, LSA, and the university’s central Human Resources to design the LSA Apprenti terms, posting, selection, training, and onboarding process. “While it took some time to design specific program details, we feel good about the partnership, found great initial candidates, and hope that our termed appointments turn into permanent positions,” said Peters. Work by LSA created an easy path for other LSA Technology Services units to join the Apprenti program for their staffing needs.
To date, the program has been a success and both teams are benefiting from the additional staffing. According to Suddendorf, “Apprenti's assistance in identifying candidates with diverse working backgrounds has brought a fresh perspective and impact on how we approach our tasks. They seamlessly joined our team and wasted no time in making changes to our workload.”
Brownlee and Warren are also enjoying their Technology experience. “I am grateful to Apprenti for making the transition to the IT field seamless and stress free. I would have never known about the opportunities available at the University of Michigan without them,” said Brownlee. According to Warren, “My experience with Apprenti, transitioning from Healthcare to IT helped develop the skills I believed couldn’t translate into a different career. I’m thankful for Apprenti giving me the opportunity to be able to gain knowledge and experience in an organization I see myself staying with long after my apprenticeship has ended.”
