INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 113
Nicholas Wyman
How Apprenticeships Build and
Sustain Skills-Based Careers
Innovations Case Narrative:
The Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation
For many Americans, the Obama administration’s recently publicized plan to
invest billions of federal dollars in apprenticeship programs in the United States
likely conjured up the image of Benjamin Franklin apprenticing as a printer, su
first professional role.
Apprenticeships remain a fundamental, proven method of training individu-
als in what are likely high-skilled occupational areas, with hand-on learning
processes that are directly supervised by skilled mentors. Today the effectiveness
of these multiyear training commitments is measured by whether apprentices are
hired by their employers upon completing their programs. If they are not, it’s like-
ly that the apprenticeship program itself needs to be restructured.
En los Estados Unidos, there are only 14 apprentices for every 1,000 workers, y
4 percent of U.S. employers end up hiring their own apprentices, according to the
International Skills Standards Organization. By comparison, in my native
Australia there are 40 apprentices for every 1,000 workers, y 27 percent of
Aussie employers hire their apprentices. According to data from the Australian
and U.S. gobiernos, Australia will continue to outpace the U.S. in the level of
apprenticeships through at least 2015.
Onsite work and mentoring are the core of the training model that today’s
entry-level workers need in order to build and sustain lifelong careers.
Strategically designed apprenticeship programs aggregate, monitor, and stream-
line the changing inputs and relationships required to promote workers and pave
paths of sustainable employment.
University graduates have become unemployable in some countries, incluso
while jobs go unfilled. Businesses worldwide lack skilled workers, even as unem-
Nicholas Wyman is the CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation.
He is a leader in developing skills-building and mentorship programs, cual tiene
created progressive career tracks for thousands of individuals. His book, Job U: Cómo
to Find Wealth and Success by Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need,
will be published in 2015 by Crown Business, a division of Penguin Random House.
© 2014 Nicholas Wyman
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
113
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 114
Nicholas Wyman
Cifra 1. Apprentices in Training
Fuentes: REINO UNIDO. Statistics http://www.gov.uk; Australian Statistics, National Centre for Vocational
Education Research http://www.ncver.edu.au; United States statistics, Education and Training
Administration, Department of Labor http://doleta.gov
ployment—particularly among the young—is high. Too few skilled workers
means that projects sit idle and revenue growth falls short of potential. Por lo tanto,
apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs make good sense for compa-
nies that need middle-level skilled workers.
While certain positions in business and industry (es decir., engineers, científicos, y
physicians) require university degrees, most do not. Skills acquired through
apprentice-style training can lead to rewarding careers in fast-growing industries,
such as advanced manufacturing, tourism, health care, and construction.
Hardworking people who enter these fields and build their skills year by year will
not be stuck in jobs with limited prospects; they can progress to solid middle-class
lifestyles and beyond.
A skills-based career has profound implications. I have personally capitalized
on the hands-on skills I developed via apprenticeships. Pero, as with every sensible
estrategia, how an apprenticeship program is implemented will determine its
impacto.
My own career track has been a continuum of interwoven tiers. It began at the
bold age of 17, when I firmly decided that culinary school, not university, was right
for me. My happiest memories involved cooking with my grandmother in the
family kitchen, and I knew in my heart that college was not where I belonged at
that point in my life. Follow one’s passions and reap success? Nick, the teenager I
era, owned that mindset.
Sin embargo, my devoted parents believed otherwise, as they had placed me in an
exclusive high school that prepped students for university. My father, a university
114
innovaciones / The Dynamics of Development
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 115
How Apprenticeships Build and Sustain Skills-Based Careers
professor, assumed his son would earn a bachelor’s degree at the very least.
Sin embargo, bold passion trumped parental logic, and I became an apprentice in a
four-year program.
I’ll confess, it was hard work. I was on my feet 12 hours a day, moving fast,
furious, and in determined synchronicity with other trainees. But I loved it. Era
learning and applying new skills continually. My apprenticeship offered more ful-
filling and rewarding real-life experiences than classroom-style lectures. I was
named captain of Australia’s youth culinary team, which won gold in the 1988
Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt, Alemania. My team served 115 portions of
award-winning Desert Bloom, an Australian rabbit dish—a triumph secured after
reclaiming the 50 pounds of rabbit meat that German customs officials had con-
fiscated.
Problem-solving is one of many soft skills learned in culinary work. As I
became more skilled, more career opportunities presented themselves. En 1988 I
was named Australian Apprentice of the Year and received a scholarship to study
and work in some of the best kitchens in Europe. I also had the life-changing expe-
rience of serving Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Diana, King Constantine of
Greece, and other royalty.
In my final year of chef training, I was charged with supervising new appren-
tices. To be successful in this role, I knew immediately that I needed management
training. I enrolled in my employer’s in-house “train the trainer” program, allá-
by optimizing available resources to up my skills.
During my 10-year chef career I was living the dream. Sin embargo, by age 30 I
was eager for new challenges. I transferred my skills into corporate hospitality
catering, where I learned to manage big business decisions, and people. De hecho, mi
next big segue was into corporate human resources, a role in which I kept learning
on the job, eagerly finding new challenges and approaches to work. Y, contrary
to my parents’ concerns, my chef stint did not close the door on my academic
aprendiendo.
By my late 30’s, I was restless again. The time had come for me to develop a
framework for a new career, and I was ready to test and transform my real-life
skills in the context of a formal university education and commenced a graduate
diploma in business. I had been taking business courses while working, but I sud-
denly saw the value in completing an entire level of education. My work experi-
ence had cultivated my strong learning instincts and an insatiable desire to devel-
op new skills and advance my business acumen. I also was a much stronger stu-
dent than I would have been decades earlier.
Experiential education, another way to view apprenticeships, has been credit-
ed with ingraining skills into students. My personal experience vouches for its
valor.
While I had feared that the years I spent out of school would put me behind
my conventionally educated peers, in fact the self-confidence and problem-solving
abilities I developed through work experiences opened more doors than I can
count.
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
115
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 116
Nicholas Wyman
REVALUING HOW OFF-CAMPUS JOB PREPARATION
AFFECTS CAREER GROWTH
Looking back at my somewhat nontraditional career path, I am not surprised that
developing in-demand skills off campus helped me build a rewarding and success-
ful life track. I had learned that being a good chef involved more than good cook-
En g. Marketing, problem-solving, customer relations, managing people, and mak-
ing critical business decisions were fundamental processes in all of my roles,
whether performed in the kitchen or an office.
My “learn as you earn” apprenticeship had given me the ability to learn and
apply both soft and technical skills, which opened up new career options. I trav-
elled the world as a chef, and then returned to academia to develop my under-
standing of the hospitality industry’s HR business. Soon after that I earned an
executive MBA.
The MBA gave me the opportunity to work for a large multinational company
in HR. I ran my company’s world-class leadership and learning center, where I
saw the impact of training, mentoring, and workforce development. I also learned
the critical dynamics of working in teams. As satisfying as it was to work as part
of a large team, I wanted to develop a specialized team of my own, one that could
not only design but implement programs for organizations.
Leading WPC Group in Australia, a not-for-profit business, was the beginning
of the most exciting chapter in my career. I saw that the traditional style of appren-
ticeship WPC had developed through 25 years of providing apprenticeships to
business and industry needed to be updated, so I leveraged those assets and acu-
men and used them as a launch pad for designing and developing the next gener-
ation of apprenticeship and skills-building programs. WPC’s value in a country
where the unemployment rate for the 15-to-24 age group is around 15, is priceless.
When I began conceptualizing structures to upskill unemployed individuals
and engage them in the workforce, it became clear that government agencies were
not positioned to finance, orchestrate, or scale tiered apprenticeship programs
within companies or across industries. The private sector was the answer: estos
programs needed to be built around the skills needs of companies—not just for
individual apprenticeship modeling but for large-scale efforts. In the world of
trabajar, companies are the stakeholders most concerned with hiring and retaining
top talent.
In the next five years, más que 5,000 young adults gained their on- and off-
the-job certification through WPC Group. The cornerstone was its unique men-
toring systems, which made assistance available not only to employees but also to
empleadores. Sin embargo, for all our efforts we were losing traction, and by late 2008
the global financial crisis was upon us. Employers were abandoning entry-level
employees hand over fist. There was a shortage of data and research that demon-
strated to employers why they should continue to invest in skills-building. Alguno
took a long-range view, but sadly, many did not.
116
innovaciones / The Dynamics of Development
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 117
How Apprenticeships Build and Sustain Skills-Based Careers
FOUNDING THE INSTITUTE FOR WORKPLACE SKILLS AND
INNOVATION
WPC Group needed supporting research and assistance to enter new markets,
such as Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. En 2011, WPC launched the
Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation, which was to align all of WPC’s
innovative programs with a research capability. This reorganization was complet-
ed in early 2012, but one final piece of the puzzle was missing: engaging thousands
of disengaged young people sidelined from sustainable careers. Many had never
seen a paycheck, as they had entered the job market during a deep global reces-
sión. Some had worked a few part-time jobs or had bounced between training pro-
grams while seeking a clear entryway into a career, and regardless of their efforts
remained jobless.
De este modo, early in 2012 I began investigating how to engage the disengaged, trabajar-
ing with Frederick Maddern and the directors, chairman of the Institute for
Workplace Skills and Innovation. Drawing on his insights, I collaborated with my
associate Joanne Gedge and several top economists and researchers from my glob-
al consulting team to lay the groundwork for the Skilling Australia Foundation.
Our team had performed several large international assignments, including the
development of an apprenticeship program and a supply-side review for
Singapore’s Workforce Development Agency. The foundation’s aim was to allow
young people to reach their full potential, regardless of their circumstances.
One of the foundation’s initial projects focused on young adults, the popula-
tion hardest hit by unemployment. In Australia, youth unemployment levels were
at their highest since 2001, 14.1 por ciento, which was three times the national unem-
ployment rate. In some areas the rate hovered around 30 por ciento.
Working in partnership with the Citi Foundation and the Citi Australia team,
the institute identified more than 120 initial participants from lower socioeco-
nomic backgrounds who suffered underemployment or disengagement, and/or
lacked the academic background or basic educational skills necessary to secure
and retain a full-time job.
Our aim was to place young at risk adults in traineeships and apprenticeships
in the hospitality and services industry. La mayoría de 127 young people who began
our new recruits program were uneducated, untrained, and jobless. By year’s end,
92 percent had completed our four-week, job-ready boot camp; 83 percent went
on to be engaged in a job, education, or further training, and nearly half com-
menced a four year apprenticeship or traineeship. The program has now been
extended, by the number of industries covered and amount of participants
enrolled.
In the last few years, the Institute of Workplace Skills and Innovation, a través de
WPC Group and the Skilling Australia Foundation, has worked with dozens of
companies, trade associations, and governments worldwide to formalize multi-
year progressive apprenticeship programs. At any given time, our organization
represents 600 a 700 young adults in mentored apprenticeships, who learn and
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
117
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 118
Nicholas Wyman
Launching an Apprenticeship Model
Apprenticeships that involve mentoring provide young people with the frame of
reference they need to forge a sustainable path, including networks and training
resources. Hybrid training, from one-on-one development to being on the job,
bridges school and the world of work. Programs keep individuals motivated and
plugged into hiring employers. Mentors are experienced, trusted facilitators
who coach both the apprentices and the employers, and they use the following
model to align their dual focus:
(cid:2)(cid:1) Make the program attractive by demonstrating long-term commitment and
investment. The world of work has been conditioned to react to and prepare
for short-term agreements and short-term gains. A hearty program alters this
perspective and will stand out. Offer attractive pay and show participants a
career ladder that adds responsibilities and better paying roles progressively
within the hiring enterprise.
(cid:2)(cid:1)Expect a time commitment from the apprentice, typically spanning four years.
Lengthy programs are essential for both companies and apprentices to identi-
fy and reap the real value of the apprenticeship.
(cid:2)(cid:1)Connect each apprentice with a mentor. Bonds of loyalty and trust that devel-
op between young people and their mentors create the basis for employee sat-
isfaction, retention, and skill-building progress.
(cid:2)(cid:1)Partner with local educational institutions, including community colleges and
vocational-technical schools that provide offsite supplemental education for
employees’ on-the-job learning.
(cid:2)(cid:1) Focus on creating measurable value for the whole enterprise. Por lo tanto,
design apprenticeship/training programs around your company’s business
necesidades. All individuals have a unique mix of innate skills, both soft and techni-
California, that need to be interpreted and connected to an enterprise’s goals. De este modo,
each apprentice needs a customized performance plan that aligns with enter-
prise-wide objectives.
(cid:2)(cid:1)Create a progressive path, as mentored apprenticeships need to be vertically
integrated and aligned with different types of mentors. Here’s a mentor struc-
ture that my teams have found to be effective in keeping apprentices engaged
and focused on progressing toward their success models:
−(cid:1) Management Level: Senior manager, executive, or business owner who
leads the enterprise’s workforce development and strategy. This person cre-
ates the workforce development policies and the culture to leverage
employee buy-in and involvement companywide. This advocate is the most
critical in ensuring that the apprentice program is successful, documented,
and sustainable.
−(cid:1)Supervisory Level: Internal staffers or a contractor who has undertaken a
trade apprenticeship and has the appropriate skill level. This person is
responsible for the apprentices’ day-to-day training at the worksite.
118
innovaciones / The Dynamics of Development
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 119
How Apprenticeships Build and Sustain Skills-Based Careers
Cifra 2: Four Elements of Successful Apprenticeship
Cifra 3. Mentored Apprenticeship Program Model
The trajectory of a multi-year apprenticeship, and how apprentices and mentors
are integrated into a company’s overall operations.
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
119
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 120
Nicholas Wyman
earn simultaneously. Approximately 82 percent of these apprentices are expected
to complete their three to four-year programs, receive trade certifications, y
earn successive raises and promotions within
eso
mentored/apprenticed them. And perhaps most notable is that they will not be
saddled with university debt.
the companies
The success of these young people will become the foundation for the future
apprenticeship programs that our organization models. The data we have gath-
ered on “learn-and-earn” apprenticeships is guiding other organizations commit-
ted to upskilling jobless young adults.
One lesson we should learn from Germany and other highly skilled nations is
that great things can happen when educators, empleadores, and government collab-
orate. These nations demonstrate that piecemeal approaches to building skills
simply cannot get the job done on a scale that measures up to the current middle-
skills gap. Educators must understand the skills employers require and adapt their
curricula as those requirements change. Employers need to work closely with
schools and their students, keeping them informed about the opportunities avail-
able to them and the skills they will need to do these jobs. And government must
remove impediments, provide incentives, and coordinate efforts with employers
and educators.
Engaging mentors and apprentices to participate in a mentored apprentice-
ship program requires breaking down how each party benefits and contributes
within a company. En general, apprentices of today will be the managers and lead-
ers of tomorrow, therefore an apprenticeship needs to be promoted as a true
career pathway within a business. Companies benefit greatly from the new ideas
offered by a fresh generation of workers, which complement a changing work-
fuerza. To recruit the right apprentices companies really need to highlight the value
that apprenticeships offer apprentices themselves. Por ejemplo, an apprenticeship
is not just a job but a career pathway that enables a young person to develop tech-
nical skills; work toward sustainable employment while earning money; learn to
work with other employees and to function in a team-based, cross-cultural work-
lugar. They will likely be exposed to new methodologies and learn how to think
analytically, rather than being limited to doing menial tasks; work under managers
who are trained in contemporary leadership; experience work-life balance; y
become an empowered and trusted member of a team. Finalmente, apprentices should
look at pay as a training wage and an opportunity to be paid to study, en vez de
having to spend thousands of dollars to earn a college degree and end up with
debt.
Sucesivamente, efforts to recruit more mentors to an apprenticeship program should
highlight the value that mentors offer employers and apprentices. Por ejemplo,
with many management roles being eliminated, mentoring often replaces tradi-
tional supervisory roles. También, mentors help company leaders identify and transfer
organizational knowledge while supporting, guiding, and teaching young employ-
ees. Mentoring provides formal training and an informal method of educating tal-
ent, and it engages tomorrow’s workforce.
120
innovaciones / The Dynamics of Development
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 121
How Apprenticeships Build and Sustain Skills-Based Careers
There are several styles of mentoring, including structured processes and
informal, personalized coaching. My organization uses both approaches but relies
on informal approaches to clarify issues that affect an apprentice’s progress.
Identifying and developing mentors is as important as identifying and developing
the apprentices themselves. Misconceptions about the characteristics and compe-
tencies that make a good mentor abound. Mentors need to focus on skills that are
in demand in the workplace, on motivation triggers, and on how to be a team
player. The following details the different roles mentors play with young adults.
A FORWARD THINKING APPROACH
I have seen program managers tighten the middle-skills gap on several projects I
have worked on in the automotive industry. Por ejemplo, my team works with a
large automotive business in Australia where some dealers within the network
reported difficulty finding productive workers quickly. As a first step in making
this happen, we looked at the typical duties performed in the dealership network
workshops. In most cases, mechanic apprentices did shop maintenance and other
routine activities. This led to high turnover and problems attracting the next gen-
eration of workers.
Many dealer managers had overlooked the fact that, 40 years earlier, one in
four jobs required more than a high school education, whereas two in three jobs
today require more classroom training. Apprenticeships provide essential skills
that will be used in a range of roles throughout an individual’s career. Successful
apprentices quickly become productive, progress into new roles, and take on more
responsibility.
Además, spending decades performing the same functions in the same
department is a thing of the past. The technological innovation driving businesses
worldwide requires that employees refresh their skills and understand how to
apply them in new functions and industries.
Most of the company’s dealer managers eventually realized that they needed a
fresh approach. Our first order of business was to replace the apprentice mechan-
ics with apprentice technicians. The response was immediately positive. Nosotros entonces
had to train the first-year apprentices in basic automotive functions, such as doing
an oil change. Once their training organization determined that they could com-
plete this function competently, the apprentices could perform the task under the
watchful eye of their supervisors, and the dealers could bill for their time. Thus the
dealers saw a return on their investment in skills development, the apprentices felt
they were adding value to the company, and the company’s bottom line improved.
This initiative earned the tagline “Productive People Quickly.” Through the com-
pany’s unique training programs, their automotive technicians receive not only
en- and off-the-job training but product-specific specialized training. The pro-
gram had more than 55 participants in the 16 months after it was launched, con
un 83 percent retention rate.
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
121
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 122
Nicholas Wyman
Diversifying the Workforce
Employers worldwide are seeking skilled tradespeople who can do the jobs that
keep the world turning in IT, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, energía, elec-
trical sectors—the list goes on. But while these sectors are considered high
growth, their future fully relies on their success in building, continuously
upskilling, and tenuring a diverse, gender-inclusive workforce. Progressive
multi-year apprenticeships are the key to filling this tall order.
For 21-year-old Sara, who just completed a four-year apprenticeship in electro-
technology with a global transport and logistics company , the future is looking
bright.
Raised in a family of tradespeople, Sara was attracted to the idea of becoming an
electrician. She was initially concerned about entering the male-dominated
campo, but she chose to pursue her dream anyway. Once she began her appren-
ticeship, Sara felt at ease and welcomed, despite being the only female in many
of her classes. “I was nervous to start a trade that is definitely male dominated,
but everybody at work was extremely supportive,” she says.
The company has found that investing in apprenticeship programs is key to
attracting talent with strong potential, and to upskilling and sustaining their
workforce.
For women like Sara, who are eager to earn an income while learning a job,
apprenticing is the key to pursuing their ideal career without acquiring tuition
debt. Además, if women represent half or more of the world’s workforce,
recruiting them into highly skilled professions must be a priority. Proactively
diversifying apprenticeship programs will attract more women into traditionally
male-dominated trades, an essential step to closing the skills gap.
Make the Commitment
Individuals often mistakenly think skills-based vocational learning pays poorly.
Sin embargo, having technological skills and the ability to update and apply them
quickly is today’s golden job ticket. Technology-based vocational jobs often lead
to engaging, well-paid work that focuses on developing skills, not degrees. El
jobs revolution offers a new way of looking at the path to a prosperous career.
Identifying the elements of successful apprenticeship models, such as those in
Alemania, Australia, y otros paises, and customizing them into master mod-
els for programs in the United States is the focus of my leadership team. Lo haremos
lead these models together with our partners—forward-thinking business leaders
who have a long-term commitment to upskill the jobless and employed workers
who are stuck in a rut.
122
innovaciones / The Dynamics of Development
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
INNOV0901_wyman.qxp_INNOV0X0X_template.qxd 10/27/14 6:49 Página PM 123
How Apprenticeships Build and Sustain Skills-Based Careers
All stakeholders in the U.S. economía, from workers themselves to companies
to communities populated by high numbers of jobless youth, benefit from appren-
ticeship programs that are strategically implemented. Tomorrow’s workforce has
been left with too few viable proven options for making a successful leap into
today’s world of work.
The challenges facing youth in an economy slowly recovering from the global
recession is to seek out the industries, and the actual companies in these indus-
intentos, that both align with their passions and offer accelerated skills-development
programas. Finalmente, it’s the role of parents and educators to encourage youth to
make the leap into high-growth, skills-based career tracks.
innovaciones / volumen 9, number 1/2
123
Descargado de http://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/9/1-2/113/705315/inov_a_00205.pdf by guest on 08 Septiembre 2023
