As National Apprenticeship Week 2024 marks its 10th anniversary, PDS Manage, a small IT managed service provider in Casper, WY, has experienced firsthand the powerful impact that structured, hands-on training has on both business success and employee development.

In January 2024, PDS Manage hired three inexperienced technical support employees, Wade Jacobs, William Vallecio, and Stephen Graham and registered them as IT Specialists in CyberWyoming’s sponsored Registered Apprenticeship program. The program has been approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), meeting rigorous quality standards, and is supported by Safal Partners, DOL’s National Industry Intermediary for Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Expansion.

Initial Investment & Early Training Success

“When we brought those three guys on, we figured a 3-5 month cost of overhead in training investment,” said Tim Chenoweth, Co-owner of PDS Manage. For many businesses, investing in apprenticeships can seem daunting due to upfront costs. But by July 2024, Jacobs, Vallecio, Graham, and another employee, Trey Ransom, all earned their CompTIA A+ certification, a respected credential in the IT industry, by completing coursework and then passing a set of two exams. The certification validates the essential skills required for entry-level IT jobs. Since July, Jacobs and Graham have also passed their CompTIA Network+ certificate and the others intend to take the test soon.

Building a Talent Pipeline & Long-term Success

Apprenticeship programs build a company’s pipeline of talent, allowing for succession planning and increasing team depth. PDS Manage’s Registered Apprenticeship program has proven to be an exceptional long-term investment. Chenoweth explained that the shift to apprenticeship represented a bold change for PDS Manage, but the results have exceeded expectations. “It was something I had always envisioned, but PDS’s culture wasn’t ready. Investing in training for 3 months without any billable hours was a heavy lift. I had looked at doing it—not to the scale of training three at a time—but I can tell you it paid off because they hit the ground running and they fit with our culture better,” he said.

Rapid Growth & Immediate Impact of Apprentices

This strategic investment has led to rapid success for the apprentices hired in early 2024. Now, Vallecio, Graham, and Jacobs have become integral to PDS Manage’s operations. “The apprentices are in the top five in billable hours, and they were just hired in January and February of 2024,” said Chenoweth. “All three have settled into really important roles. Wade [Jacobs] is already handling tasks typically assigned to senior techs on-site, William [Vallecio] is managing a large client as the sole tech on-site, and Stephen [Graham] has already joined our leadership team.”

Cultural Transformation & Lessons Learned from Apprenticeships

Beyond their individual success, the apprentices have also driven positive changes in the company’s senior staff. “The three that I brought on are, in many cases, surpassing some of my senior techs because the way we did it before this model was to bring them in and throw them on the hot coals,” Chenoweth explained. “My senior techs didn’t get exposure to the client-centric, client-focused training that is now part of our new culture. Now, the senior techs are learning from the apprentices.”

Chenoweth believes this cultural shift has been a key to the success of the apprenticeship program. “It was truly a culture change,” he added. “We’re no longer prioritizing hiring support techs at higher levels that think they know everything and are not willing to embrace the change. Instead, we bring in younger techs and teach them our way of doing things. It’s awesome to see the involvement and the leadership coming out of them. It’s been fun.”

PDS Manage’s Commitment to the Future of Apprenticeships

As National Apprenticeship Week 2024 shines a spotlight on the growing importance of apprenticeships, PDS Manage is proud to share its success story, demonstrating the long-term ROI of technical apprenticeships. Their program is a testament to how investing in apprentices can fuel company growth, transform workplace culture, and build a skilled workforce for the future.