A panel session about the application and impact of apprenticeship within tech companies
As technology bleeds its way into every human interaction and our web industry morphs into an Internet of Things, we’re faced with a problem: how do we prepare new hires for work that is changing right under our feet? Governments are scrambling to close the skills gap, companies can’t find and keep great talent, and graduates are struggling to pay loan debt while working for minimum wage and searching for career opportunities that often exclude entry level skills. Something is broken.
Meet a panel of experts who have been implementing another approach: apprenticeship. It’s an old concept with a new format. The apprenticeship is back. Maybe it never left.
Join us for a one-hour discussion on the application, format, and impact of modern day apprenticeships in tech.
Topics
- Fundamentals: apprenticeship format, organization, and applications
- Challenge and perks to implementation
- Closing the skills gap in tech
- Building inclusive teams
- Creating a learning organization
- Industry trends and learning standards
Meet your panelists
Dan Mall
Founder
SuperFriendly
Dan Mall is a creative director and advisor from Philly. He’s the founder and executive director of SuperFriendly, a design collaborative that brings exquisite creative direction & design to the world’s most important and interesting organizations. Dan is an enthralled husband & dad, author of Pricing Design, and co-founder of SuperBooked, a service that helps you find work with a little help from your friends. He writes about design and other issues on Twitter and on his industry-recognized site, danielmall.com.
Becca James
Digital PM
Viget
Becca is a digital project manager at Viget where she works with clients on Rails and Craft CMS website redesign project and to improve the user experience of web apps. Previously, she worked with the Sunlight Foundation on a criminal justice data project. Becca holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Robert Mulholand
Software Crafter
8th Light
Rob Mulholand is a Software Crafter at 8th Light in Chicago, where he’s spent the last few years helping teams to build reliable and maintainable software. Rob initially joined 8th Light as an apprentice, and has since acted as a mentor both internally and with the Chicago Python user’s group. Before joining 8th Light, Rob earned a masters degree in communication studies and spent nearly a decade as a debate coach.
Rachel Gertz
Digital PM Trainer
Louder Than Ten
Rachel Gertz is a Digital PM Trainer who helps digital project managers, freelancers, and creative teams through Louder Than Ten. She trains apprentices in digital project management so they can keep their organizations happy, healthy, and ready for the future. She strongly likes bourbon.
Photo credit: Grady Mitchell
Moderated by
Johnathon Vaughn Strebly
As a design director, mentor, educator, and advocate for creativity, Johnathon provides environments where innovative thinking is encouraged. Johnathon brings decades of experience and involvement in the applied arts, encouraging growth and change in creative industries. As Director of Creative Services of the HCMA +Design team, he both challenges and contributes to the contemporary fabric of design today, and tomorrow.
He is the current president of the Graphic Designers of Canada, GDC National Ethics Chair, and past president of Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC ) Vancouver. He is also a founding committee member of CreativeMornings Vancouver and Interesting Vancouver.
In partnership with
