The Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and Accenture helped to launch the Massachusetts Apprentice Network earlier this year to create a community of employers, training providers, and talent sources focused on expanding apprenticeship in industries such as tech, financial services, health care, biotech, advanced manufacturing, and more. Committed employers of the Network are collectively working to hire 1,000 apprentices over the next five years.

As the Network celebrates National Apprenticeship Week, Lauren Jones of the Roundtable had the opportunity to connect with four individuals who started their career with their company thanks to an apprenticeship program. Lifting up these testimonials helps to demonstrate the value of apprenticeship as effective, scalable hiring strategies for companies needing to fill in-demand roles across a range of industries.

So, let’s meet these amazing individuals!

“My Journey”: How an Apprenticeship Launched My Career

Daphney St. Vil, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC)

Daphney St. Vil participated in Beth Israel Lahey Health’s apprenticeship program, beginning in April 2022. Daphney successfully completed both technical and on-the-job training by May 2022 and has since continued employment as a Patient Care Technician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Lourenco Dasilva, South Shore Bank

Lourenco Dasilva participated in South Shore Bank’s apprenticeship program, beginning in October 2021. Lourenco successfully completed both technical and on-the-job training by October 2022 and has since continued employment as a Business Banker in the Commercial Department at South Shore Bank.

Michael Rai, Accenture

Michael Rai participated in Accenture’s Apprenticeship program, beginning Sept 2019. Michael successfully completed both technical and on-the-job training by March 2020 and has since continued employment with Accenture. Michael is a Visualization & Interactive Science Consultant within Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting Applied Intelligence Practice.

Shelley Ophir, Liberty Mutual Insurance

Shelley Ophir participated in Liberty Mutual Insurance’s apprenticeship program, beginning in September 2020. Shelley successfully completed both technical and on-the-job training by August 2021 and has since continued employment as an Associate Software Engineer, Mobile Applications for Global Retail Markets at Liberty Mutual Insurance. 

Q&A

We asked each apprentice how they first learned about their apprenticeship program, what sparked their interest in pursuing and apprenticeship, and questions to reflect on as they look back on their experience.

#1. How did you first learn about the apprenticeship program?

DAPHNEY (BIDMC): I was informed about the program by my English teacher at Catholic Charities, Jane Snyder, who has encouraged me in all things and who always believed in my perseverance. She always told me I could do it.

LOURENCO (South Shore Bank): I started working at South Shore Bank in 2020. Our Bank President James Dunphy who has been instrumental and persistent with his vision to get the inaugural National Bankers Apprenticeship program up and running after five years. Dunphy, with his dominant advocacy, introduced the idea to myself and two other participants (my coworkers) a year and half ago and the rest is history.

MICHAEL (Accenture): I first learned about Accenture’s apprenticeship program by a Career Counselor from my upskilling program. I had completed a full-time Software Engineering Immersive program hosted by General Assembly. I stayed connected to their Alumni Network, while applying for my first role in the industry.

SHELLEY (Liberty Mutual): Through my involvement with the MassHire career center, I learned about Apprenti, an apprenticeship program for technology talent. At the time, I enjoyed coding and thought that it could be an amazing opportunity to expand my skill set and pursue a technology career professionally.

#2. What sparked your interest in pursuing a career in this field?

DAPHNEY (BIDMC): I am interested in this job because I see that in this role my skills and experience will meet a significant need, and at the same time, help vulnerable people within Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). I also see this as an opportunity to learn and develop my skills so that I can grow personally, professionally, and financially. If I can come here to help solve problems and achieve my personal goals, I know I can achieve more in my career. I also like the culture of this institution. From what I know about BIDMC, it seems like a great fit for my personality and values.

LOURENCO (South Shore Bank): My journey in financial services began after I joined Foxborough Country Club and played a casual round of golf with Steve Diprete Chief Commercial at South Shore Bank. We had a conversation about changing career paths from nonprofit to the corporate world during that round. At the end of that game, Steve urged me to apply for a role at South Shore Bank. The opportunity excited me because I knew that I was going to join an organization that focused heavily on making a difference in the community—a no brainier for me since helping others has always been a passion of mine.

MICHAEL (Accenture): At my previous organization, I was unsatisfied with the growth opportunities available. Outside of my primary responsibilities—I volunteered to serve as a stakeholder for another consulting firm implementing Digital Transformation and thought to myself: “I can do that!”. I already had an aptitude towards being a technologist… I just needed to further examine if this was something I can pursue as a career.

SHELLEY (Liberty Mutual): I’ve always had an interest in coding and when I found out about Apprenti, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to apply. It is a 3-month coding bootcamp that places you at a sponsoring company for paid on the job training. I was lucky to be placed at Liberty Mutual where I had support and guidance throughout both my technical and on the job training. 

#3. What advice would you share with someone looking for a paid training apprenticeship program?

DAPHNEY (BIDMC): Having the opportunity to participate in a paid training program is wonderful because it allows us to start making a salary right away. It is also great because if you start a new career, short-term training programs can help you easily enter a new field. This program can help you qualify quickly for a satisfying job with comparable pay and benefits.

LOURENCO (South Shore Bank): I would tell them to Network! Reach out to new people in your or outside of your community and take a chance.

MICHAEL (Accenture): I would advise individuals looking for a paid apprenticeship program to find an organization that respects your previous experience and training and picks up where that program left off. For example, in my interview process, the recruiter asked for a copy of the certificate from my training program. That little piece of paper actually held weight here! Furthermore, I was able to gauge Accenture’s commitment to apprenticeships based on my interview questions and case study. Accenture valued my experience and cared about my potential. Beyond my recruiter, everyone who interviewed me was a part of the Practice I’m aligned to (Applied Intelligence)—so they fully understood and communicated with me what was to be expected.

SHELLEY (Liberty Mutual): Apprenticeships lower the barrier to entry into a fulfilling career. When looking at apprenticeship programs, keep an open mind and evaluate if the responsibilities are something you and your support network can commit to. My apprenticeship required three months dedicated to full-time bootcamp training. I relied on my support network to cover some of my day-to-day responsibilities so I could focus on learning full stack software development. During the on-the-job training portion of my apprenticeship, I was able to work as a full-time employee, achieving pay increases as I completed each stage of training.

#4. What qualities did you most appreciate in your instructors during your apprenticeship?

DAPHNEY (BIDMC): I truly appreciate my instructors an the time they have spent helping me on many occasions. I thank you very much for the course, for their listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy, and patience. They always make time for each student.

LOURENCO (South Shore Bank): I would say the instructor’s knowledge, years of experience and teaching style was critical to our success. He taught his experience and real-world scenarios, not just the course load curriculum materials.

MICHAEL (Accenture): For context, a lot of my trainings were self-paced through internal Accenture resources. I’m appreciative of the support system of people given to me during my program to support that learning and prepare me for on-the-job training. I received regular check-ins from my manager and was paired with a buddy on my first account. Additionally, I was encouraged to join an Employee Resource Group, (ERG-like a club at work) where I received additional advice and mentorship from outside my project. That laid the foundation for the network I have today!

SHELLEY (Liberty Mutual): I was lucky enough to have some really great mentors that gave me a lot of time and attention in my development. They helped me stay focused and challenged me with a variety of different technologies. I was also very lucky to shadow different roles and departments at Liberty Mutual, meeting with the CIOs and gaining exposure to all parts of the company.

#5. What advice would you share with other employers who have yet to create a paid apprenticeship program?

DAPHNEY (BIDMC): When employees feel their employer is taking care of them, they may express more satisfaction in their career path and perform work duties more efficiently. High morale levels can also help employees innovate new ideas at faster rates. When all employees learn the same techniques in a training program, they can better collaborate on future projects and resolve any unexpected situations more effectively. They may also complete assignment steps at faster rates while still providing high-quality results.

LOURENCO (South Shore Bank): I would say be flexible and patient with your employees, they are the biggest asset. Provide additional professional development opportunities to the apprentice, to supplement and accelerate their growth. A, big one for me was cross training in other departments, which helped tremendously. Also, allowed me to relate to my course work and network.

MICHAEL (Accenture): As someone who benefitted from the mentorship I was provided by Accenture, I would advise other employers to heavily consider having a paid apprenticeship program and urge for top-down support. Lean into the Massachusetts Apprentice Network for best practices, shared experiences and support. Allocate a budget, start small and iterate on your program. Having a paid apprenticeship is mutually beneficial for both employer and apprentice. The results are apprentices who value the opportunity to be “given a chance”, you provide employment opportunities to traditionally overlooked pools of talent and support any talent through training and on-the-job learning, you diversify your workforce and increase innovation, and you positively affect your bottom line.

SHELLEY (Liberty Mutual): I’ve heard nothing but good reflections from employers as well as apprentices. Investing in talent from underrepresented backgrounds highly contributes to the diversity of teams.

A special thank you to Daphney, Lourenco, Michael, and Shelley for joining the Massachusetts Apprentice Network to reflect on how apprenticeship has played a key role in their career journey.

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Are you an employer, training provider, or talent source interested in learning more about apprenticeship in Massachusetts?

Click here to learn more about the Massachusetts Apprentice Network!