Innovating for Diversity

CHAPTER 4Innovating the Apprenticeship Model to Advance Diversity in Tech

The apprenticeship model conventionally used in manufacturing and construction has, in recent years, been radically re-tooled to meet the growing demand for tech skills, and as a strategy for developing diverse talent. To re-imagine a centuries-old approach to tech requires a deep understanding of the populations to be trained, fearless leadership in developing and advocating a radically new model, and organizational commitment.

This chapter dives into the journey led by a small, innovative team at Citi to dramatically increase the number of veterans recruited into tech roles at their Irving, Texas, site. They developed an apprenticeship model after examining the limitations of earlier efforts, ultimately scaling it to a national recruitment and talent development program. We cover how they overcame challenges through external and internal partnerships, as well as through transparent communications and agile problem-solving.

Complementing the Citi case study, we share an example of how Accenture is using the apprenticeship model at scale nationally.

Key Concept: Passionate, driven leaders can tackle the challenge of hiring and developing diverse candidates like any other business problem—with the right support they can innovate, pilot, and scale effective solutions.

The Problem: Recruiting and retaining more tech talent from diverse and military backgrounds.

Citigroup, often referred to as Citi, is ...