National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a nationwide celebration to showcase the successes and value of Apprenticeship Programs for rebuilding our economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities.

As Marc Armstrong — Enterprise Client Leader and Managing Principal at Aon — shared in our recent Championing for Justice and Equity (CJE) event, Apprenticeships are a powerful Talent strategy to help companies develop a more diverse and resilient talent pool:

“In an environment where talent is equally distributed through our population, but opportunities are not, are we really getting the talent that we need to make our organization as diverse and inclusive and productive as it can be? … We’ve found that Apprenticeship is a tremendous way not only to build our talent pool but to help our communities.”

Watch Marc’s introduction to Apprenticeships:

If you’re having trouble viewing the video, you can watch on Summer Search’s Vimeo.

Our full CJE conversation was about student debt and how it not only impacts employees (especially People of Color), but also organizations and their bottom lines. In looking at how EMPLOYERS can play a role in resolving student debt, Marc illustrated how Aon’s industry-leading Apprenticeship Program removes the four-year-college-degree requirement and provides young people with paid on-the-job training and mentoring.

From Aon’s Apprenticeship Brochure:

The Aon Apprenticeship Program combines education and work experience in parallel as another pathway into corporate roles and a lasting career within our firm. We approach every engagement with Early Careers talent as an opportunity to shape the future leadership of our firm.

Unlike internships, this program is a holistic two-year, full-time job and educational endeavor. As an Aon Apprentice, you’ll receive paid tuition, books, and fees for your two-year Associate Degree and start your career at the same time to develop vital workplace skills and earn a competitive salary while you learn.

Illustration of Marc Armstrong’s remarks during our ‘Unclog Student Debt From Your Talent Pipeline’ event. Click to view full-sized graphic.

In short, Marc and Aon found that Apprenticeship Programs supported with:

• Growing your talent pool;
• Creating a reliable pipeline of workers;
• Improving retention, productivity, and company culture.

Check out the US Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Fact Sheet.

We are incredibly grateful to Marc for sharing these insights, as well as to Aon for their generous support and partnership with Summer Search over the years. Several Summer Search students and alumni are among the current participants in Aon’s Apprenticeship Program!

Learn more about Aon’s Apprentice Network >>

Explore resources from Summer Search’s CJE series >>

Case Study: Next Generation Apprenticeships at Aon (February 2023) >>