Dave Hoover's presentation from the Software Apprenticeship Summit. A step-by-step guide on how to create a software apprenticeship program to grow tech talent from within your organization.

1. How to Create a Software
Apprenticeship Program
Dave Hoover
!
dave@devbootcamp.com
@davehoover
!

2. Who are we?
Introductions
Dev Bootcamp Chicago
Founder
@davehoover

3. There are over 1,700 Ruby jobs waiting to be filled.
!
The average position takes 50 days to fill.
!
Hiring senior technical talent is a major obstacle.
WANTED Analytics US Open Ruby Jobs - 1/15/14

4. Money doesn’t grow on trees
!
Neither do senior software developers
!
But you can plant the seeds to grow your own

5. To bridge your talent gap you
need two strategies:
!
1. recruit great people
2. grow great people

6. Benefits of Apprenticeship programs
1. Grows junior talent
2. Attracts senior talent
3. Creates a strong learning culture

7. From 5 Engineers to 50

8. “but Dave I don’t have the...”
Time
Money
People

9. “Dave, how are apprenticeships different than internships?
Internship
Apprenticeship
is like
is like an
DATING
ENGAGEMENT

10. What you need
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Internal buy-in
Curriculum Culture
Learning in the trenches
A pet project
Clearly defined milestones
Feedback loops
The right ratio

11. It starts
with
1
apprentice

12. 1. Get internal buy-in

13. Mentorship > Team > Owner

14. Mentor > Team > Owner
1. An excited mentor
2. A team willing to incorporate a beginner
3. A business owner who willing to fund it
Action: Set up meeting with each stakeholder to identify
and articulate the problem that needs to be solved

15. 2. Culture not Curriculum

16. 1. Don’t set up a classroom
2. Gather a set of learning resources
3. Start hosting weekly lunch study group
“Great cultures facilitate ongoing learning while
static curriculums typically do not.”

17. 3. Put them in the trenches

18. 4. Give them a pet project

19. 1. Mentor gives them a “breakable toy”
2. Should be worked on independently
3. Excitement for the project/problem
For example at Obtiva we used to…

20. 5. Define Milestones and
Expectations

21. 1. Define a 6 month schedule
2. Decide on milestone frequency
3. Set date for hire/fire/continue decision
Hiring decision should be based on your entry-level
criteria for developer positions

22. Milestone Meetings
1-on-1 with Apprentice
Hire / Continue / Fail
Oversight group makes decision
Facilitator leads a retrospective
Apprentice presents on new learning
Facilitator leads code review of pet project
Apprentice provides a demonstration of the pet project
Apprentice gives brief report on their work in trenches

23. Q&A
dave@devbootcamp.com
www.devbootcamp.com