Technology CEO Group

 FRIDAY, February 4, 2022

Opening Discussion Topic:

Using the Art of Apprenticeship: What Works?

The Art of Modern Internal Apprenticeship is both very necessary today, and very different from yesteryear’s concept. This is well presented in an October 21, 2021, McKinsey Quarterly article entitled, “Reviving the art of apprenticeship to unlock continuous skill development.”

This modern concept of “Apprenticeship” may feel counterintuitive to many in the face of today’s intense urgency & workplace time pressures. However – with updating – it can efficiently unlock the rapid capability building that today’s often under-skilled knowledge-based workforce increasingly requires.

For many of us Southern California Technology Leaders, it’s a very valuable way to execute on “Hire for attitude, train for skills,” which is becoming an increasingly important hiring approach for our businesses. And its importance continues to grow relative to our need for employee productivity and retention in our current prospective employee ecosystems.

MODERN APPRENTICESHIP IS STILL A RELATIONSHIP-DRIVEN LEARNING MODEL
At its core, modern apprenticeship is still a relationship-driven learning model, based on actual day-to-day work, in which a novice gains hands-on knowledge from an expert to grow skills and act with increasing independence.

Today, the right person with whom to apprentice is the person who possesses the skills needed to be built. In some cases, it may be your manager, but often it may be a colleague with more domain expertise. Such a colleague might be a peer or even a junior person, versus a “senior” person. It’s really about who has more of the appropriate domain expertise.

Applied well, modern internal apprenticeships build skills in others and increase a manager’s ability to delegate work with confidence that the outcome will be positive.

FOUR STEPS TO INTRODUCE MODERN INTERNAL APPRENTICESHIP AS A SKILL-BUILDING TOOL
Per the McKinsey article: these four steps can build powerful tools and to begin to reshape cultures around the idea of continuous learning:

1. Create a clear organizational expectation for both learning and teaching.
2. Build apprenticeship skills (both giving and receiving guidance) in every employee. (Dramatically accelerating the creation of a “Modern Learning Organization”).
3. Identify the skills that individuals need to build.
4. Be broad and inclusive about who can “apprentice.”

(The article is a very worthwhile read for those who want to be truly effective with this approach.)

FOLLOWING A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON THIS POWERFUL NEW CONCEPT, WE’LL DISCUSS:

• How important is the concept of: hire for attitude, train for skills for you? Why?
• How are you currently ensuring, particularly without “Chief Learning Officers,” etc., that your employees are developing all the skills necessary to facilitate your continuing competitive advantages for growth in your marketplace?
• If you’ve already read this McKinsey Quarterly article, how useful do you anticipate it will be for you? And what, if anything, do you plan to do about it?

As always, we’ll look to hear and discuss, “What’s Keeping You Up Nights?” and we’ll also serve as Strategic Advisory Board Members to ABL’s Brian Arandez, as he makes his Featured Member Presentation.

Brian Arandez is President of Maroon Vault, which provides industrial design, product strategy, prototyping, and manufacturing project management. Among the company’s clients are Amazon, AT&T, Mattel, Buena Vista Games, Bosch, Coleman, Hyundai, Kia, LG, Machinima, Sprint, Suzuki, TMobile, and Verizon. Maroon Vault holds several patents, and its designs are currently selling on the shelves of major chains.

Upcoming Meeting Dates

Feb 4…Mar 11…Apr 1…May 6…June 3…June 30*…Aug 5…Sept 2…Oct 7…Nov 4…Dec 2

Our San Gabriel Valley Technology Round Table meets on the 1st  Friday of the month (with the exception of some holidays ) – via Zoom and sometimes with an In-Person option. (*June 30 meeting date due to 4th of July holiday)

Past Discussion Topics Include