How Tech Apprenticeships Deliver Real-World Expertise
By MAXX Potential
- Posted:
- Apprenticeship
“Learning is not a one-time thing; it’s an ongoing process.” Jasleen Bindra, MAXX Alum and IT Services Analyst contractor at Dominion Energy, shared in a recent interview prompted by National Apprenticeship Week. “I feel like companies like MAXX that are training their Apprentices with this mindset, play a major role there.”
Jasleen has always been interested in the technology industry, and if you look at her resume, you see someone who has been pursuing her interest in technology for years. She has a Master’s in Statistics, a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, and a certification in Business Statistics and Analysis. The hiccup in her career pathway was when she moved from India to the United States, meaning she needed to complete immigration and work authorization before she could advance her technology career.
“And that’s where MAXX Potential was introduced to me by one of my friends.” Jasleen had known that she’d have a hard time getting her foot in the door with the tech industry due to her career gap. She pointed out, “The conversation with MAXX started on that note with, ‘Hey, this is what I have, and I’m looking to work, just work, get in the industry, and get my hands-on experience.’ All I knew was I was taking one step at a time.”
Breaking Into the Tech Industry through Apprenticeship
MAXX Potential offered the possibility of breaking into the tech industry and gaining recent and relevant experience. A vital part of how MAXX Potential works is pairing eager and interested technologists with real-world work and experience, so that Clients complete their projects and Apprentices expand their resumes. It was just what Jasleen needed to move her career forward.
“I embraced it with open arms. Like whatever is coming, I was just like a sponge that was absorbing everything.” Jasleen said about her time as an Apprentice at MAXX Potential. She noted that on her very first day as an Apprentice she was paired with a Client and immediately started working on the project.
Jasleen was brought onto a legacy system update project. The company still used typewriters for their forms, so MAXX Potential wanted to provide a solution that the Client would be able to maintain and continue to use. Jasleen spoke so warmly about her experience with this Client, saying, “You’re meeting your client where they are, and just giving them a little more. It still speaks volumes to me how it really, really helped them simplify their processes.”
The next Client project brought different challenges, and Jasleen remembers how she was the only person on the team with a big problem to solve. She realized that she was expected to bring the level of expertise of a seasoned professional to this role. It was a fast-paced environment with a lot of pressure as the expectations to deliver were high.
“I don’t know if it had room there for me to make any mistakes.” Jasleen reflected on her time on this project during the MAXX Apprenticeship. She pointed out that she’s a hard worker with a strong background in technology. In the end, Jasleen was hired within six months of working on this project, and she reasoned, “I have always let my work speak instead of me speaking.”
The Value of Mentorship in an Apprenticeship Program
Mentorship is a part of the MAXX Potential ecosystem that helps support Apprentices as they gain experience on different projects. Every Apprentice is paired with a peer, mentor, and manager. This aspect of the apprenticeship helps Apprentices solve work challenges and handle interpersonal relationships.
“I would say mentorship has played a major role for my own professional growth.” Jasleen recalls her conversations with her mentor. She said, “All the soft skills, the data practices, data management, how you are presenting to your client, how you are meeting their expectation, to what point you should exceed their expectation, all these things, I would say I learned these skills through mentorship. It helped me so much.”
MAXX Apprentices are competent individuals who align strongly with the MAXX core values of curiosity, authenticity, collaboration, initiative, and perseverance. A big part of the MAXX Apprenticeship program is to provide a space where aspiring technologists can learn, gain experience, and succeed. There is no shame in not knowing how to do something, and mentors and managers encourage Apprentices to understand how to search for a solution to the problem.
“I do not take it too hard if I don’t know something, but I always bring it back, do my research, and find an answer. And that’s my biggest takeaway from MAXX.” Jasleen said. “Not having the answer right away is still fine, but having the intent to find the answer is very important.”
Apprenticeship Focuses on a Strong Learning Mindset
“I think one of the core things that we were taught as Apprentices at MAXX was not to have a small vision of what you are working with. It always had the broader vision that if you’re working in one technology, it’s important to pace up and keep learning new stuff, new technologies. And that’s, I think, the main idea behind creating the Level Up program.” Jasleen shared.
The MAXX Level Up program provides four tiers for Apprentices to achieve through a presentation of their technical learning. Each tier represents a higher level of skill and includes a monetary award. This program allows Apprentices to expand their resume and experience.
Mindset is so important for a technical career, and Jasleen pointed out that she went into a bootcamp with the idea that the course was going to teach her everything. The bootcamp was not even close to real business problems or a work environment. Something needed to change
“When I started doing it with a ‘I’m just going to see how it goes’ and ‘let’s see where it heads,’ that’s the exact mindset I came to MAXX for.” Jasleen said. “I had no image of what I’m getting into. All I knew was I’m going to get to work in a real work environment and I would be working beside some mentor who is there to guide me and hold my hand where I need and push me where I need that push.”
Apprenticeships Are Changing the Landscape of the Tech Industry
National Apprenticeship Week is just the time to consider how apprenticeships are changing the landscape of the technology industry. Folks who opt to explore the possibilities of a tech apprenticeship experience the chance to build on their skills within the workforce rather than a classroom. Apprenticeships jumpstart careers.
“Learning that mindset, a realization that learning is not a one-time thing, that when you are in a tech career, it’s an ongoing process. Apprentices learn that mindset from companies like MAXX and carry forward that principle to wherever they are working.” MAXX Potential is a company that’s passionate about helping technologists to launch or advance their technical careers while also completing work for Clients in a variety of industries. This connection between companies seeking to complete work and folks who are desirous of breaking into the tech industry is an important role within the market.
“They not only help you with the soft skills for your work, but also I would say a big, big factor is if you are working as a consultant, no one is going to teach you, other than when you’re working as an Apprentice, how to advocate for yourself, how to make your clients aware of what value you are bringing there, and especially negotiating when your client is about to hire you.” Jasleen considers how her apprenticeship impacted her tech career. “I mean, all these expert talks, I don’t think I could have done confidently without my mentors helping me to steer in that direction.”
Jasleen currently works as an IT Services Analyst contractor with Dominion Energy. It’s clear that she feels like she fits like a puzzle piece into the team. She shared, “I feel like I just fit in where I am working right now every day. I wake up excited about the new challenges the day will bring for me at my workplace.”
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