Our one-year training program creates strategic project leads who run healthy projects, strengthen happy teams, and support nimble digital agencies, departments, and product studios.
1 year apprenticeship
Virtual people and project management training for modern digital agencies, departments, and product studios.
8 months of weekly online classes and labs
12 months of coaching and support
Up to 6 apprentices per cohort
Apprentices work with you while they learn remotely with us.
Learn by proxy
Your whole org gets access to our comprehensive curriculum and resources. So while your apprentice gets live weekly training, they also bring back actionable workshop ideas, guides, and smart templates that help your team and processes improve continuously. A ripple effect that shapes the whole team.
For your apprentice
One-on-one access to trainers
24/7 support from peers and community managers in our Slack community
A safe practice environment and simulations to apply new learning
Practical exercises they can take back to the team in real-time
Tailored workshops that challenge your thinking and improve your craft
For your whole team
Lifetime access to over 500 pages of exclusive curriculum
A massive, growing list of templates, resources, and helpful guides
Access to Nimber, our pricing and estimating tool
Access to monthly AMA sessions with industry professionals
Continuous improvement sessions led or supported by your budding apprentice
Big picture, healthy projects
Apprentices learn the soft yet essential skills along with the hard ones that transform reactionary processes into a proactive approach.
Plus, they learn how to scope, estimate, schedule and resource projects in a way that supports the health of your whole organization. They think outside the triangle.
Good words from Good Work
When your producers are aligned with leadership goals, it’s magic. Good Work Founder Garrett Winder of Dallas, Texas took the apprenticeship with Studio Manager Ariel Kidwell. Having alignment from day one gave them an immediate advantage when implementing new concepts and developing new processes to increase profits and focus on smoother, more productive projects and workflows.
I don’t even know if I could say I was a real project manager before I took this course as I’m pretty sure the projects managed me. Louder Than Ten transformed Good Work’s internal and client-facing processes, and we’re already seeing positive revenue results in less than a year. Personally, it gave me the confidence to tackle projects as a partner with our clients and communicate in a way that laid a solid foundation for projects to move efficiently and successfully.
The team at Louder Than Ten has been instrumental in helping us nail down our client facing processes and running a healthier, more sustainable company.
Practice + support = prepared
Running projects is tough: it’s as much about managing expectations and the nuance around profitability and project workflows as moving tasks and setting schedules. Most producers pick up bad habits they’ve learned while in the trenches and often work alone without support. Our program ensures your new or mid-level producers cultivate good habits by allowing them to build their skills in a supportive practice environment first. Then, they share that learning with the whole team and can apply it to real projects immediately.
First 8 months
Theory & practice
We teach the solid theory of digital project management from project setup to close and embed practical soft and hard skills so your project leads can put them to work within the first few sessions. Our apprentices learn to forecast, plan, and scope accurately.
The entire year
Coaching & support
PM apprentices pick up more complex projects at your organization and hone their skills. Trainers provide them ongoing coaching and support through regular check-ins, evaluation, and scheduled support for real project problems.
The learning commitment
For your apprentice
For the first half of the apprenticeship, apprentices meet virtually with their trainer and up to five other students for 5 hours per week:
3 hour classes for the first 8 months to learn new principles
2 hour labs for the entire year for exercise, application, and support
The rest of the week apprentices apply new skills to improve real projects and processes while they work.
For your team
You’ll be (or choose) a teammate to sponsor your apprentice by committing to maintain a healthy learning environment. You’ll also do regular check-ins with your apprentice to plan the best ways they can improve current processes and project paths. We’ll do three formal check-ins with you both during the year.
What apprentices learn
Here’s a breakdown of what we cover.
Sales and intake
How to smooth out the project intake to management workflow and create alignment with business development and executive stakeholders
The role of lean documentation and how to do more with less of it
Setup and process improvement
How to close gaps between project phases during handovers
How to manage and prioritize decision makers’ expectations
How to set rates and project budgets that support profitable projects and the optimal health of the company
Planning, management, and delivery
An agnostic approach to methodologies and approaches that promotes critical thinking over orthodoxy
How to get buy-in from the team during scoping and estimating—and fun processes that actually welcome positive risk
How positive and negative risk impact projects and how to share it, offload it, or mitigate it with the least impact
How to prioritize and communicate about features that create strong business value
How to triage and respond to requests and manage change effectively
Some hacks that create a healthier and more productive team capacity
The metrics that actually matter on your projects and in your professional development and how to track them
Essential skills
How to resist emotional wear and tear caused by challenging situations
How to deal with complexity and uncertainty
How to be comfortable with discomfort while working through difficult conversations
How to assess and build your emotional intelligence
How to champion and support happier teams
Where the future of project work is headed and how to set up continuous improvement processes that keep your team and organization ready
What graduates get
When you’re done the program, you’ll walk away a Louder Than Ten Certified Project Lead
Successful completion is based on:
- Completed program exercises
- Regular attendance during weekly lab sessions
- 3 employer/trainer evaluations
- Project plan presentation
- Final reflective essay completion
Meet your trainers
Trainer
Rachel Gertz
Digital PM Trainer, BA B.Ed
Rachel Gertz is Co-founder and Digital PM Trainer at Louder Than Ten. She trains apprentices in digital project management so they can work full time while learning to keep their companies happy, healthy, and ready for the future. Rachel works on raising tides that float all boats to elevate the technology industry.
Trainer
Abby Fretz
Abby is passionate about connecting people interested in DPM to access to the right set of tools and resources. She has taught Digital Project Management classes for Girl Develop It, guest lectured at University of the Arts’ continuing education program, co-chairs DPM Philly, and mentors people interested in entering or honing their craft in the field of digital project management.
Who’s taking our apprenticeship?
Our apprentices hold a diverse range of responsibilities and job titles, including:
Digital Project Managers
Digital Producers
Account Managers
Agency Owners
Office Managers
Strategists
Lead Developers
Lead Designers
Writers
The program that fits you
Wherever you come from, if you are responsible for the success of your organization’s projects and work directly with clients or executive stakeholders this program was made for you.
Skills that pay the bills
The skills apprentices learn in the program support them in their career path to become strong, confident, and ethical leaders:
Project and people managers
Producers
Directors
Executives
Business owners
Operations managers
Design and technical leads
The Louder Than Ten apprenticeship has been phenomenal. I have nothing but great things to say about it. It has been career changing for me.
I fell into project management by accident and I’ve always felt kind of unsteady in it. Going through the program gave me a firm, researched foundation for this role that gives me the confidence to do my job 1000x better.
Now I have confidence in what I’m talking about. What I’m suggesting is founded, tested, and a proven good practice for the betterment of our organization. The program gave me a foundation to do my job well and to have the power to stand up for what I believe in. It gave me a community of support, and a way to think through issues I didn’t have before.
I would go through the apprenticeship all over again, and would highly recommend it to anyone considering it.
This program pays for itself
Successful organizations are seeing reduced overages and increased revenue within months.
Apply to join our next cohort.
Classes begin in February, May, and September.
Without a doubt, Louder Than Ten has produced an instrumental shift in our business. By providing a deep understanding of how project managers can work effectively and profitably on a team, Louder Than Ten has given us the tools we need to take our agency to the next level. Having worked with many project managers on both sides of client services, I can say without hesitation that the level of work our PM is doing after a few short months with Louder Than Ten is miles ahead of industry norms. We’ve seen our most profitable year ever, and we know that Louder Than Ten played no small role in that.
Common questions
Talk to us.
Learn more about our programs or talk to a trainer.