Apprenticeships have long been a model for training the next generation of skilled workers. However, they might be more commonly associated with learning a highly skilled trade or finely honed craft in manufacturing or construction, not at a fast growing tech startup or tech industry leader. However, apprenticeships exist across all industries and Onramp is proud to be a registered apprenticeship program in the tech industry. This means that companies that work with Onramp to offer an apprenticeship program can access the benefits of an apprenticeship program, including diversifying their hiring pipeline and increasing employee retention, while ensuring that the program meets rigorous, federally recognized standards. 

What is a registered apprenticeship? 

The US Department of Labor defines an apprenticeship as “an industry-driven, high-quality career pathway where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce, and individuals can obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, and a portable, nationally-recognized credential.” As a registered apprenticeship, Onramp is now able to offer program graduates a nationally recognized credential from the Department of Labor. A registered apprenticeship program offers additional benefits, including: 

• Certified curriculum that meets rigorous quality standards 
• Tax credits in many states
• Access to federal funding and a wide array of federal resources
• Added incentives for recruiting veterans 
• National network of support, customer service, and technical assistance 

How Onramp’s registered apprenticeship model works

Onramp is committed to helping our graduates build fulfilling careers in the tech industry and to contribute value to their companies from day one. As a registered apprenticeship program, our curriculum and hands-on training meets federal standards and ensures that all of our graduates develop a consistent set of skills. To develop our training model, we worked closely with our corporate partners and high-performing engineering managers at top companies to ensure our standards are aligned with the work across the industry. 

In order to develop Onramp’s apprenticeship program to ensure it would deliver the skills most sought after by our partners, we developed core competencies that all software engineering apprentices who complete our program come away with, no matter where they are placed. Onramp’s program is competency based, as opposed to time-based, because we want our apprentices to be prepared to move into full time roles as quickly as possible and support the hiring demands of our partners for production-ready, full time technical employees. At the end of their apprenticeship, all apprentices are evaluated by their manager to ensure they “meet expectations” and once they are placed in a full time role they are awarded a certificate, which is issued by the Department of Labor. 

Participants in Onramp’s apprenticeship program hone their skills and are evaluated on: 

• Understanding of software architecture, programming language fundamentals, and data manipulation
• Ability to use version control, git, APIs, and cloud computing fundamentals
• Software development lifecycle including deployment, testing, and infrastructure
• Agile methodology and project management skills
• Collaboration, communication, problem solving, and research skills 

For each apprenticeship we work with our partner company to refine the list of skills that apprentices need so they are prepared to contribute to your team from day one. 

How Onramp apprentices are selected

Onramp apprentices are selected through a competitive hiring process. We source candidates from an extensive, diverse, and hard-to-reach talent pool including bootcamps, educational programs, and online communities. We use a series of skill assessments to understand candidates fit and readiness. 

Apprenticeship participants:

• Receive one month of remote upskilling training based on our partner company’s technical stack
• Work remotely or onsite as fully integrated members of our partner's team for 6 months
• Work closely with a mentor during their immersion with our partner’s team
• Are evaluated by their manager to ensure they are meeting expectations at the end of their 6 month immersion and receive a certificate from the Department of Labor

Our sourcing and training program has a proven success rate: We have a 94% offer-to-hire ratio for candidates, and a 100% retention rate for candidates hired through Onramp’s apprenticeship program in the first year.  

Amplify the benefits of offering an apprenticeship  

Onramp’s apprenticeship program meets federal recognized standards, enabling our partners to work with us with confidence that we’re delivering a proven, vetted training program. Working with Onramp to offer an apprenticeship program enables companies to strengthen their hiring pipeline, increase diversity, and promote employee retention. Our numbers show this: 75% of Onramp candidates who have been hired are people of color, 67% are women, and 12.5% are LGBTQ+. 

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If you’d like to work with us to develop and offer a registered apprenticeship program, reach out to us today or book a meeting now.