Technology Jobs Can Build Up the Middle Class. Here’s How Apprenticeships Can Help
Often times, when folks think about technology jobs, they think of careers that require a lengthy, specialized education. Certainly, there are a lot of jobs that require an advanced degree in computer science.
But there are some career pathways in technology that look a lot more like the kind of skilled manufacturing and industrial jobs that helped build the middle class in our state. And the path to obtaining one of these jobs can look a lot like the path that has been used successfully by folks to earn a decent wage at the Navy shipyard or at a Boeing factory: apprenticeships.
In 2017, jobs in the IT and cyber sectors can provide a quality wage and stable employment. We have a lot of people who need jobs, but we have a lot of jobs that need people. Jobs writing code, jobs protecting cyber security. That’s where apprenticeships come in. Traditionally we’ve thought of apprenticeships as a way get to get on-the-job training in fields like carpentry. But we’re seeing new kinds of apprenticeships too.
They have proven to be a successful tool for giving folks the expertise and know-how to hit the ground running as they join the workforce. Apprenticeships can be used to help people become coders and cyber professionals too. These days they are needed more than ever — nearly 800,000 IT workers are expected to retire between now and 2024. On top of that, the average IT salary was $108,000 in 2016. The national average for all other sectors sat at $53,040.
These jobs will continue to grow in demand. Employers want to make sure that talented individuals have a variety of ways to get in on the ground floor. Technology apprenticeships are a key way to break down a barrier for men and women to embark on a new career in these fields. After all, if you can learn the skills of a new trade while getting paid, you won’t have to take out loans for a degree that you otherwise might not be able to afford.

In Washington state, we’ve seen this type of apprenticeship start to grow. Earlier this year, the inaugural group in our state’s first tech apprenticeship program (Apprenti) started to work full time with companies. The federal government should be a partner in helping efforts like this grow.
That’s why this week I joined with my colleagues to introduce a bipartisan, bicameral bill that will kick-start new tech apprenticeship programs.
Our bill starts out by creating public-private partnerships that will serve as a conduit to keep the apprenticeship process running smoothly. These partnerships would be in charge of finding and training potential apprentices and tracking their progress. That, in turn, would encourage the participation of more companies who would have a talent pool to choose from created by these partnerships.
Finally, we’d establish a program to recognize secondary schools that provide exemplary IT training. If it passed, the Secretary of Education would be able to award CHANCE in Tech Awards for 21st Century Schools.
Technology jobs can provide a solid path to the middle class for folks around the country, so there should be a variety of pathways into these fields. In this rapidly changing economy, our bipartisan bill makes sure that apprenticeships equip folks with the training to fill open positions today and equip them with the skills they’ll need for the jobs of tomorrow.
