Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) is launching an apprenticeship program for current city employees to provide training for higher paid jobs, specifically in software engineering and user experience.
The two-year program is intended to upskill existing, high-potential City employees; provide training, mentorship, and support ; and open the door to opportunities for higher paying positions. Selected applicants will initially participate in a full-time 3-4 month bootcamp in software engineering (with Launch Code) and user experience (with General Assembly). They will then be placed on high-impact, resident-facing projects to get hands-on experience. Upon completing the apprenticeship, the participants will have two years of industry specific work and a portfolio of various projects. It’s expected that the apprentices will be qualified for a variety of mid-level roles in the technology industry.
Apprentices will be paid $60,000 per year. All City employees are eligible to apply, with preference given to individuals who make at or below $50,000 per year. The program is funded by the City’s new Operations Transformation Fund, which supports transformative projects in City government over the next two fiscal years (2022 and 2023). These projects must focus on providing services efficiently and equitably to benefit Philadelphia residents.
The city states the OIT Apprenticeship Program is unique in government and the tech industry and noted that: “Teams with diversity in experiences, background, and other dimensions build better products. To build applications that residents can use, designers and engineers need to understand what Philadelphians need. More diverse perspectives in the process allow for better understanding of how to match the city’s needs.”