EmployIndy’s Modern Apprenticeship Program (MAP) offers an avenue for employers to build their own employment talent—especially in areas where they might be having a hard time finding qualified enough candidates for needed positions—and for young talent and future workforce to gain access to high-demand career areas.

Apprentices are supported throughout the program by EmployIndy Youth Apprenticeship Managers (YAMs) and participating businesses by Account Managers on EmployIndy’s Business Partnership team.

EmployIndy recently sat down with Joy Coates, Markle Foundation’s Senior Manager of National Delivery Partnerships, to learn more about how the experience of a cohort one apprentice, Fatoumata, has been progressing. Fatoumata is now a senior at Pike High School, and part of Coates’ role includes supervision over Fatoumata’s apprenticeship experience.

Markle, which been focused on workforce development since 2013, is working to expand access to quality jobs for all Americans.

“We’re always looking for ways to make a lasting impact,” Coates said, with MAP apparently fitting that bill for cohort one and again for cohort two.

Coates mentioned that Fatoumata’s role as a project coordinator “may be more complicated than the average apprenticeship,” and emphasized the need for intentionality in trying to connect tasks like business writing, “tactical” projects, and which meetings to include Fatoumata in on. Through this apprenticeship, she has honed her occupational and foundational skills and gained valuable work experience that will hopefully support Fatoumata in her goal of becoming an immigration lawyer in the future.

“Fatoumata has always been willing to learn,” Coates said, and it doesn’t hurt that Coates has a coaching background herself. Coates admitted that her apprentice is, by nature, a reserved person and that one of the initial challenges was in working with her to feel comfortable enough to speak up, especially when she needed help.

It should be noted that these dynamics can be true about new employees anywhere, but that’s even more reason to pay attention to the experience of a high school student who may be facing her first meaningful professional experience. Coates cautioned that this is not the same as assuming a high school student doesn’t know anything, which of course they do, even in their initial nervousness.

As evidence that the program is working for both her organization and for its apprentice, Coates emphasized Fatoumata’s increasing “self-agency.” A great example of this, Coates notes, is how Fatoumata has become more confident in building relationships and taking on new projects with different team members.

Part of the initial design of a MAP experience involves the creation of competencies that will drive the skill development of an apprentice, and Coates has witnessed Fatoumata “scaffolding” in the right direction and even holding herself accountable to the framework.

Coates is optimistic that this growth in Fatoumata will pay dividends in the future, and that by completion of the program, Sylla may just be ready to take the lead on small projects herself.

EmployIndy is currently recruiting for its third cohort of businesses who want to be involved in MAP; interested parties can reach out to Wendy Parker, Senior Business Development Manager for Modern Apprenticeship, at wparker@nullemployindy.org.