Don’t you just love a hike under the changing leaves? There is this great trail in the foothills just down the street from my house. Two-point-seven miles – beautiful and easy. I recently did this hike with my kids to get a nice dose of the fall foliage before it is too late. For various reasons, I ended up doing this hike with each kiddo separately, first with my son then with my daughter. My son, the 13-year-old, zipped right through it. A quick 50 minutes and we were off the trail. We took in some amazing vistas, breathed in the earthy deliciousness of crinkling leaves under our feet – me (and the dog) had a blast.

Two days later, I took my eight-year-old daughter and what a difference! We strolled. We meandered. We collected leaves. Hunted for mica Took breaks and ate snacks…and stopped at least 14 times to take selfies. Then, an hour-and-a-half later, emerged back into the parking lot. It was the same hike, but also a very different hike.

As CareerWise gears up to offer a two-year apprenticeship model pilot program in 2022, I can’t help but see the parallels between the “same but different” hikes I did with my kids, and the “same but different” models now available to CareerWise employers hiring this spring.

Starting after the new year, hiring employers will have the option to move forward with the three-year apprenticeship model we’ve always had, or opt into the two-year pilot model. At its core, the apprenticeship is the same. Both training plans take apprentices through 2,000+ hours of high-quality on-the-job training and 144+ hours of related classroom instruction. Both drive apprentices toward achieving proficiency in their defined competency sets. Both offer a transformational career and skill development for students and talent development for employers.
So what is different? The pace.

Employers looking for a faster train-to-hire timeline might favor the quicker pace of the two-year model. Like hiking with my son, it’s a more intense experience, moving through each milestone in quick succession. Students start this model as seniors in high school and persist for one year following high school graduation. They’ll work more hours each year and will complete after their third summer.

Other employers might find the three-year model preferable as it includes fewer hours in the first year, giving the apprentice more time to ease into their team and responsibilities. Students have a longer runway to hit all the milestones, and like my daughter, can take more detours and breaks. As always, in the three-year model, students can start as either juniors or seniors, and complete the program in May of their third year.

Which is right for you? We can help you figure that out. The first step is to get signed up to hire a cohort this spring. So let us know, we’d love to hear from you.