IGDA recently met with a group of women from Apprenti, a fellow nonprofit, to talk about the programs they’ve developed to help studios change the way they recruit with diversity and talent cultivation in mind. They spoke about how they transformed their current success with traditional tech apprenticeships, including software developer, cloud operations, cybersecurity analyst, and IT business analyst, to applying it to the unique needs and skills in interactive media.  

Apprenti shared that this fall they are launching 4 new programs to help studios cultivate the talent they need to fuel their growth. These programs are designed to deliver diverse talent into vital roles including Game Developer, Game Designer, QA Test/Management and Technical Artist – and they can customize their program to fit the exact talent needs of industry. These new programs allow studios to utilize the power of Apprenti to:

• Source diverse talent (86% BIPOC, women, veterans)
• Fill skills gaps through technical training 
  • Unity, Unreal, C#, C++, ISTQB Certifications, 2D/3D animation, 3D modeling, UX/UI, VFX, and more
• Deliver 93% retention results/program outcomes 

Apprenti’s programs help increase pay equity and career path development for non-traditional hires. It also enables studios to be more open and more inclusive, both in their hiring practices and how they enable talent to grow within the company.  

If you’ve been trying to hire more women, veterans or people of color, or invest in some of your incumbent staff who have shown interest in growing into a more technical role, Apprenti is the right solution for you.

Contact Jacquelyn Craddock at jcraddock@apprenticareers.org. Find out how you can add Apprenti’s programs into your talent strategies to deliver greater diversity, higher retention, and create the exact talent you need to meet business demands.