“ I want them to be able to go to any of the big companies out there — Apple , Google , IBM , Microsoft — and be able to say , ‘ Look , I went through this program in California . You don ’ t have to worry about training me on any of the basics .’”
Edward Ellis , IT supervisor , Ripon Unified School District
to upscale your existing incumbent workforce ?” says division Chief Eric Rood . His consultants put employers in touch with a local community college to design the classroom instruction component — the major players in the region are American River College , Sacramento City College and San Joaquin Delta College .
At Ripon , Ellis has become something of an apprenticeship evangelist as a way to grow staff skills . “ Honestly , I am stoked to have this program ,” says Ellis . He ’ s now talking to some of his suppliers about adapting it for their own use . “ I ’ ve had a lot of people get that thoughtful look and go , ‘ Hmm , I wonder if this would work for me ?’” he says .
Steven Yoder writes about business , real estate and criminal justice . His work has appeared in The Fiscal Times , Salon , The American Prospect and elsewhere . Online at www . stevenyoder . net and on Twitter @ syodertweet .
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