Head of the Class: First Clevelander graduates from unique plug-and-play IT apprenticeship program
“It’s a great pipeline for companies to bring in IT talent.”
Dominique Grim was looking to make a career change.
The 30-year-old Clevelander had a bachelor’s degree in biology and worked in accounting in the hospitality field, but wanted to work in IT.
He turned to Apprenti.
“I was looking to expand my horizons,” says Grim. “I had heard about an opening in Cleveland doing data analytics, and they recommended applying through Apprenti.”
That was a little more than a year ago. This month, Grim will be the first area graduate of the Seattle-based on-the-job tech apprenticeship program that the Greater Cleveland Partnership partnered with in 2021 as a pipeline to create tech talent in the region.
Available as a plug-and-play solution for employers, companies in Greater Cleveland can use the program to fill entry-level IT roles — including user support specialist, cloud computing specialist, cybersecurity analyst, software developer and IT business analyst — through registered apprenticeships. Grim was hired by Brunswick manufacturing company ID Images, the first local business to utilize the program.
The program typically consists of 12–16 weeks of pre-apprenticeship technical instruction and 12 months of paid on-the-job training, during which apprentices gain the skills and experience of a fully-qualified professional in their field. At least 2,000 hours must be completed, and credits can be earned for transfer to 2-year or 4-year degree programs. COSE and GCP members are eligible for discounted rates and other benefits, but the program is open to all businesses.
“The beauty of Apprenti is that it is a plug-and-play program,” says Akeem Perry, GCP’s Senior Manager of Talent Initiatives. “Apprenti sources and presents qualified candidates to interested employers, then pairs them with the partner employer to create a program to meet their organizational needs while providing an opportunity for the apprentice to gain the necessary skills of the said occupation. Apprenti does the heavy lifting: programming, sourcing, and support.”
At the same time Grim was looking to change career paths, Richie Muniak, Chief Information Officer at ID Images, was looking into new talent pipelines for his IT division. The company’s owner at the time suggested Apprenti. As a midsized company of about 600 employees, but less than 10 in IT, ID needed new ways of recruiting talent.
“Our owner knew we wanted to start pushing more towards BI (Business Intelligence). He discovered Apprenti and passed it on to me. I went through the career paths they offered and saw data analysis/BI. Our HR manager said, ‘this looks great, let’s do it!’
“It was really good for us. I’m not a software development company, I am not a tech company. I am not a world-famous named company, so no one is flocking to my job openings. Manufacturing companies don’t have huge recruiting budgets, our money goes to operating. So my way of hiring tech talent has always been entry level and building pathways from that.”
Muniak was given three applicants from Apprenti, without names, and proceeded to interview each of them.
“They had not yet gone through training, so we were told not to ask them tech questions. They were purely soft skills interviews.”
Grim’s background in accounting made him stand out, and ID Images soon hired him through Apprenti.
“I loved that the pay scale was set, there was no wage negotiation. It was really simple,” says Muniak.
Next up: pre-OJT technical instruction.
“Before the year-long OJT starts, Apprenti trains you to make sure you are prepared,” explains Grim.
Following that training, he was paired with Muniak as his mentor.
In the meantime, however, ID Images was sold and a private equity group took over. They were requiring a new software, Tableau, that Grim had not been trained on. He was up for the challenge, however.
“Richie gave me projects to work on to develop my database skills,” says Grim. “I really appreciate working in a professional setting, learning with other people.”
Soon, Grim had more new skills than either he or Muniak had originally planned.
“I was confident we would get a good candidate with Apprenti, and we did,” says Muniak. “He was a great candidate, and the support from Apprenti with check-ins was really nice. … The concept of IT apprenticeships is really important. As someone who went to a career tech school and had a father who was a tradesman, I love this concept being developed in Northeast Ohio.
“With all of the changes going on at our company, he didn’t have the luxury of getting lost. Learning these new skills was a requirement, and he did it.”
GCP’s Perry says Grim’s adaptability is testament to him — and Apprenti.
“His ability to learn two languages on the fly speaks to Dominique’s abilities, the level of professional acumen of the candidate pool and support at Apprenti,” he notes.
One year later, Grim is graduating Apprenti with more than 2,000 hours of training in computer languages, database management, analytics, professional presentations and additional IT career skills.
“The OTJ training is so beneficial,” he says. “The situations you run into … you cannot prepare for these until you run into them. This training really helps you become adaptable. I learned a lot and got a lot of feedback. I am looking forward to what comes next.”
Grim recently left Cleveland due to his wife’s career and has accepted a new position. Across the country, 9 out of 10 Apprenti participants are retained and hired after their apprenticeship, however.
Muniak is equally positive about Apprenti, especially for its potential for small and midsize businesses. He says ID Images plans to utilize it again.
“I’ve been telling other companies about this,” he says. “Smaller and midsize companies should really look into this, especially those who are extending their IT departments.
“It’s a great pipeline for companies to bring in IT talent.”
Resources
Companies interested in learning more about the program, or the benefits available to COSE and GCP members, are encouraged to reach out to GCP by emailing Akeem Perry, Sr. Manager, Talent Initiatives at GCP, aperry@greatercle.com or calling (216) 592–2235.
Greater Cleveland Partnership’s All In vision for a Great Region on a Great Lake has five key priorities: Dynamic Business, Abundant Talent, Inclusive Opportunity, Appealing Community and Business Confidence. All of our work ties back to these values. This story relates to Abundant Talent, Inclusive Opportunity and Dynamic Business.
