18 hand-picked tech apprenticeships for individuals with non-traditional educational backgrounds. This resource guide was developed with research support from Jaideep Upadhyay.
At Next Shift Learning, we believe there are many ways to chart your career path. Apprenticeships offer practical learning, financial support, and mentorship opportunities for individuals with non-traditional educational backgrounds. By embracing apprenticeships, companies enable individuals to acquire skills while earning a living, promoting lifelong learning, and fostering a supportive professional community.
Here is a list of 18 apprenticeship programs our team hand-picked for individuals who want to work in software engineering, app development, UX research, UI or graphic design, product management, project management, and more.
Airbnb
Airbnb offers a six-month paid apprenticeship program for individuals interested in becoming software engineers. This program is designed for people with non-traditional tech backgrounds.
Details
- 6-month program
- Full-time program
- Offers pay and benefits
- Some previous software language required
- Applications open in February 2025
Accenture + Aon
Accenture and Aon have teamed up to create apprenticeships programs from the East to West Coast here in the U.S. Accenture started with the Chicago Apprenticeship Network, launched in partnership with companies such as McDonald’s, JP Morgan Chase, and Walgreens — all major employers in the Chicago area. Later, Accenture partnered with Aon to expand their apprenticeship offerings with a two-year, full-time apprenticeship program.
Details
- Offered to candidates without a four-year college degree
- Program requires in-person participation
- Locations: New York City, Philadelphia, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Houston and Northern California
Apprenti
The Apprenti Apprenticeship Program specializes in working with companies to develop software engineering career pathways for underrepresented talent. Candidates are accepted after completing a competency assessment. Then, when apprenticeship opportunities matching the interests of applicants come up, candidates interview with both Apprenti, and the apprenticeship employer company.
Details
- 1-year paid apprenticeship
- Potential to be hired by the employer
- Requires a competency exam
- Requires interviews by Apprenti and the employer
Catalyte
Catalyte — a company offering AI that helps discover high-potential talent — offers a free, fully remote Catalyte Software Development Apprenticeship Program. The application process includes a software development screening process, but they encourage beginners to apply.
Details
- 14-20 week program
- 1,000-plus apprenticeship participants to-date
- 98 percent of program participants acknowledge that Catalyte helped them land their first job
- 91 percent of program participants would repeat the program
General Assembly + Adobe
The General Assembly x Adobe Digital Academy offers scholarships to participants each year. Recipients are required to enroll in General Assembly’s immersive programming cutting across software engineering, UX design, data science or digital marketing.
Details
- 10-12-week program
- Participants are eligible for remote internships at Adobe, and are considered for full-time employment
- Applications open in October 2023 for the 2023-2024 cohort
Google — one of the best-known tech companies in the world — offers a paid apprenticeship program. Candidates at any level of education or transferable lived experience are welcome to apply.
Details
- 12-24-month program
- Candidates must speak and write in English and/or the local language fluently
- Must have authorization to work in the country in which you are applying
- Locations: The United States, Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Australia / the Oceania region
IBM
The IBM apprenticeship program is offered for individuals who do not have a four-year or two-year college degree. They’re seeking participants who are passionate about technology and determined to succeed in tech.
Details
- 12-month paid program
- Apprentices work directly with real IBMers to fast-track their career
- The program is designed to close the skills gap, and welcome new talent into the tech industry
LinkedIn developed the REACH technical apprenticeship program for those looking for a career change, or who have completed a software development bootcamp, or who are self-taught, or who do not have a four-year degree, or are working to re-enter the workforce.
Details
- Full-time employee benefits and perks
- 20 percent of your time is allocated to self development and personal projects
- Each cohort team will have a dedicated mentor assigned
- Work on real-world projects
Lyft
You’ve probably spotted Lyft cars around your neighborhood. Did you know that Lyft also hires software engineers to keep their apps running smoothly? They offer software engineering apprenticeships, including mentorship opportunities, learning new technologies, and collaborating with the team to ship new product features.
Details:
- 12-month program
- Potential to convert to a full-time role at 8 months
- Available to individuals with non-traditional career backgrounds
Microsoft
Microsoft created their Leap Apprenticeship Program to provide unconventional entry points into their organization for talent with non-traditional academic backgrounds. In fact, the program has been running since 2015, and provides an opportunity for participants to work on real projects across their product suite, including Azure, Xbox, Bing and Office365.
Details:
- 16-week program
- Combination of in-classroom learning & hands-on engineering projects
Multiverse
Multiverse, a professional apprenticeship development company, offers the Multiverse Apprenticeship Program with several pathways in advanced analytics, digital marketing, software engineering, strategic analytics, as well as a digital business accelerator program.
Details
- 12-15 month programs
- All programs use applied learning, expert coaching, offer access to a global community
- All programs offer certification upon completion
- Requirements vary by program, so check out the details based upon your areas of interest
Next Chapter
Next Chapter provides an apprenticeship program and access to a community for online guidance, mentorship and networking. Once you join the community, they offer online curriculum to help you prep for a technical assessment prior to completing an application. Once you submit your application, participate in interviews, and get selected, you’ll participate in a partner bootcamp program to gain new software engineering skills.
Details
- Next Chapter partners with 15-plus companies that provide paid apprenticeships
- Apprentices receive support from their team to set them up for success in tech
- Career services and professional development support are also available in the form of freelancing jobs, workshops, and mentorship
Niantic
Software development company and maker of gaming experiences such as Pokemon Go, Niantic — a Next Shift Learning customer — has teamed up with Tech Elevator to offer software scholarships as part of their Niantic Voyager Apprenticeship Program. Offered to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to help them launch into the world of tech.
Details
- 6-month program
- 20 software development scholarship apprenticeships offered to individuals from underrepresented communities
- Locations: Southern California, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle
Pinterest
The Pinterest Apprenticeship Program covers several career tracks: engineering, product management, product design, and UX research. Participants partner directly with Pintereste engineers on high-impact projects, and work with an assigned mentor throughout the program.
Details
- 1-year program
- Individuals who identify as women, Black/African American, Latiné or Hispanic, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and/or Pacific Islander or LGBTQ+ are encouraged to apply
- Candidates with non-traditional educational backgrounds are also encouraged to apply
Sirius XM + Pandora
The Pandora Demo Tape Apprenticeship Program was created to provide tech career pathways for aspiring engineers with non-traditional educational backgrounds who might lack a four-year degree, but have developed some software skills by attending a community college, completing a coding bootcamp, participating in online courses, or self-directed learning.
Details
- Applicants should have basic understanding of object-oriented software development
- Some cohorts require familiarity with specific languages, tools or frameworks
- Participants are eligible for consideration for open roles at Pandora
SnapUp
Snap Up is an engineering rotational program offered by Snap Inc., a Next Shift Learning customer. Their apprenticeship program is specifically tailored for new graduates who have limited or no previous experience in technical software engineering.
Details
- 11-month program
- Provides career development opportunities through on-the-job training and mentorship
- Locations: Santa Monica, New York City, Palo Alto, or Seattle
- Apprentices are required to be present at one of our major engineering office locations for a minimum of four days per week
Techtonica
The Techtonica program is a free, six-month program followed by six months of working in a remote job, or with job search support. The program is designed to bridge the career opportunity gap for women and non-binary individuals with low incomes.
Details
- Application includes a JavaScript pre-requisite course, two application forms, and two invite-only digital literacy testing and JavaScript workshops, code challenges, staff and board interviews
- To prepare, Techtonica recommends learning as much JavaScript as possible via freeCodeCamp or Codecademy
Twilio
The Twilio Hatch Apprenticeship Program, offered by customer engagement platform company Twilio, offers cohort-based collaborative learning experiences in part one. During part two, participants work directly with an engineering manager and technical mentors.
Details
- 6-month software engineering apprenticeship program
- Opportunity for underrepresented talent
- Potential to convert to full-time employment
