DETROIT – The Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan has partnered with OneMagnify (formerly Marketing Associates) to bring U.S. Department of Labor registered IT apprenticeships – Apprenti – to its operations in Detroit.

OneMagnify joins national IT brands like Amazon, Microsoft and Accenture as an Apprenti employer partner and is the first company in Michigan to embrace the IT program.

OneMagnify and WIN’s collaboration on Apprenti demonstrates a leadership role in expanding and diversifying the region’s IT talent pool.  In the first quarter of 2018, there were more than 26,000 total job postings for IT positions in Southeast Michigan with 75 percent going unfilled due to the lack of qualified talent. Apprenti combines foundational skills education with classroom and on-the-job training aimed at bridging the skills gap. OneMagnify, a global marketing and communications firm, will be instructing their apprentices in Java programming and systems administration.

“Those of us in the IT field have to examine all avenues in finding and cultivating the brightest and best personnel to serve our clients and our interests,” said Andy Frey, OneMagnify CTO. “Apprenti,  one such avenue, is an ideal resource for training that serves as a win-win for everyone involved. We are building well-paying careers and keeping top talent here in our region.”

Apprenti was started in Seattle by the Washington Technology Industry Association in 2016 and is now operating in 18 states across the U.S. Nationally, the program has received nearly 6,000 applications and placed more than 200 apprentices into high-demand IT occupations. Apprenti programs support future software and web developers, network security administrators, cloud support specialists, IT business analysts, data center technicians and IT support professionals.

“The Apprenti model presents a rare opportunity to shift the supply curve of talent in our region by recruiting candidates with interest and aptitude in IT and then collaborating with organizations like OneMagnify to rapidly upskill apprentices,” said David Palmer, WIN Senior Director of Strategies and Partnerships. “This method has been shown to be more efficient and bring greater diversity of talent to employers than other short term training investments.”

In partnership with the Ralph C Wilson Jr. Foundation, WIN will be able to offset most of the classroom training costs for partner employers, up to $15,000 per apprentice.

WIN and its partners are in talks with other Southeast Michigan employers across a range of industries (IT, healthcare, advanced manufacturing) to recruit and train IT apprentices.

Apprenti is priority for WIN’s apprenticeship expansion strategy through the Advance Michigan Center for Apprenticeship Innovation (AMCAI). For more information about AMCAI, key partners or how organizations can build their own apprenticeships, visit www.miapprenticeship.org.

For more information about Apprenti in Southeast Michigan – including how to apply – please visit ApprentiCareers.org or contact John Sullivan at [email protected] or by calling (313) 580-6548.