Scaling Tech Apprenticeships:
DPI recruited, vetted, and enrolled pre-apprentices into a Java-intensive program designed and hosted by City Colleges of Chicago. Upon completing the program, pre-apprentices were invited to apply and interview with DPI's employer partner, Cognizant, a Fortune 200 company. Those hired into the apprenticeship program started at $25/hour with benefits. During this past quarter, seven apprentices completed the full-time, intensive classroom training provided by Cognizant Academy in full-stack development and are now participating in the on-the-job learning (OJL) portion of the apprenticeship program.

One of the five components of Registered Apprenticeship is "Rewards for Skill Gains." Cognizant rewarded these seven apprentices with a significant pay increase for their skill gains. Apprentices went from $25/hour to $34/hour. This is equivalent to more than $70k a year....as an apprentice!

Cognizant continues to provide support to the apprentices during their OJL journey.

Pictured is Melissa Chaca, an apprentice at Cognizant.