#lvl1.io: Treating technology as a trade skill
##Summary: lvl1 is an initiative to create a series of coursework that, when completed, would enable someone with a basic understanding of what a command line is to seek employment in the technology industry with all of the skills needed to be a functional L1 admin/ops or Jr. dev of a team using today’s technology. Further, it is an initiative to have those people brought into an apprenticeship program that closely mirrors those found in other trades (which we believe technology is headed towards in order to meet demand/varying skill level requirements). What we believe that looks like is outlined below.
###Part 1: Training
The problem with most of the existing training methods is that their content is either outdated or incomplete. One can learn about any given technology if they are willing to dig through countless tutorials and slowly piece that information together, but the breadth and scope of tech today is so great that knowing where to start is daunting in itself.
The good content that does exist is usually not kept up to date, or is in a closed system that makes contribution and updating impossible. Countless articles are incorrect simply because they aren't kept up to date with new software versions.
We propose that by working with students, interns, and apprentices, lvl1 can be a self-sustaining initiative. As students learn, they learn to create and update the content. The training content will be opensource and available for anyone to consume, correct, update, and modify. We can bring in a student and start working them through the coursework. As corrections are needed the student will learn how to do those and actively contribute back. Part of their learning process will be to update the content live. This ensures that as long as the program is active, the coursework will always be up to date. Each student potentially experiencing a small setback with out of date documentation which will be turned into a positive experience as they correct it for others.
Students can also consume the coursework on their own, at their own pace. Many development shops use remote workers due to a lack of local talent, for work life balance, follow the sun initiatives, so it makes sense that the coursework should be able to be completed by anyone anywhere. Doing so leverages the same tools that they will be learning as such enabling them to work wherever the demand is in a distributed team setup.
Coursework will be split into two main components: pre-apprentice and apprentice. Pre-apprentice work will either be consumed online self-taught or through mentors, schools, local organizations using it as a pre-built course framework. Pre-apprentice work will demonstrate the ongoing work ethic, commitment and ability to learn to warrant an interview that could potentially lead to an apprenticeship.
###Part 2: Apprenticeship
Upon successful completion of a pre-screening application (a series of technical questions that can be answered from previous knowledge or having completed the lvl1 pre-apprentice course work) a student would be given an opportunity to work with a company that is participating in the program, with a mentor specifically suited to the program.
Once an apprentice is placed starting wage would be set at at minimum wage +20% base pay, with resulting apprenticeship completion pay being market equivalent for a developer/systems admin I in the given area.
Working with their mentor and using the apprenticeship lvl1 program coursework the student spends 50% of their time learning (using advanced lvl1 coursework hand selected by the sponsor company based on technologies they are using), and 50% of their time doing, under supervision of the mentor within the company. As the student progresses they will be given access to a series of tests, successful completion of the tests paired with a good quarterly review would enable to receive a raise (determined on the number of total costs) which eventually after completing a 2 year (at average learning speed) apprenticeship they end up with a full time job at the company that has sponsored them paying a reasonable salary.
Students could also complete all of this coursework on their own as a series of skills specific micro modules, and essentially challenge the apprenticeship tests, in order to directly interview at a higher level within the company or program considering them. Allowing those with an extreme aptitude to demonstrate it around the approved content and coursework creating a fast lane hiring pool for companies in need of technical talent.
Because all of this content and coursework would be freely provided and opensource, the idea is to get a number of larger companies to certify the coursework as good enough for a specific role. As such completing and demonstrating an understanding of the skills or having completed the apprenticeship it would be considered equivalent to a degree and or a set amount of work experience. This enables a student to have faith that their time is well spent and is providing a marketable skill long term. This also incentivizes the involved companies to always keep the course content as up to date so students coming out of the program and into apprenticeships or full time roles have the absolute most up to date skillset.
###Where to start and what we need?
We have a student hired part time for the summer using grant money that is going to help us design and create the coursework as he is mentored 1 on 1. During this time we have also found 2 high school students interested in working on a BC Open Data project. We will be having those students come in once a week to work through the new course work being developed each week in the previous 4 days.
Through documentation of this processes and the results we hope to justify a more in depth project with much greater resources in order to create a new path for people to get into technology. Understanding that technology needs more front line workers, we need to shift how we train them. We need an influx of people that can run and understand systems at a base level, we have started that here at iTel/KIC but we are going to need a lot of help to carry it through into something that can revolutionize how people are getting access to the technology revolution.