A Tech Apprenticeship Model for Massachusetts

Friday, Sep 11, 2020

Many countries have looked to the German apprenticeship model as a pathway to a career, but very few have replicated this approach.

Join representatives from Apprenti for a presentation and a moderated discussion on how this non-profit organization has created a US version of an apprenticeship program geared towards tech talent, what it is looking to achieve and hear the perspective of the CIO of Cengage who has already introduced this program into his company.

Background:If companies were not already considering new ways to find tech talent, 2020 has propelled employers across industries to embrace new strategies such as building talent pipelines for emerging technical needs to retraining and upskilling existing workers and attracting and supporting greater diversity and inclusion that is often underrepresented in tech companies and IT departments, regardless of industry.

Apprenti will describe how CIO’s and tech leaders are applying this apprenticeship model to bridge the tech talent and diversity gaps for IT roles like Software Developers, IT Business Analysts, Cybersecurity Analysts and more across a range of industries home to Massachusetts.

Speakers:

Lauren Jones, Massachusetts Director, Apprenti
Rainer Gawlick, Chair of the Apprenti MA Advisory Board
Jim Chilton, CIO of Cengage

Date: Friday, September 11, 2020

Time: 12PM to 1PM EDT

Format: Brief presentation followed by a moderated discussion and the opportunity for a Q&A

Platform: Zoom event

Registration: Please register to receive the Zoom link prior to the event

The Speakers

Rainer Gawlick, Chair of the Massachusetts Apprenti Advisory Board

Rainer Gawlick is active in the area of workforce development as the chair of the Massachusetts Apprenti Advisory Board and as a member of the MassHire State Workforce Board, where he co-chairs the Adult Pathways Committee for the MassHire State Workforce Board. In addition, Rainer Gawlick has held executive sales and marketing positions at a broad range of technology companies including AspenTech, Lightship Telecom, SolidWorks, Sophos, and Intralinks. Most recently he was President of Perfecto Mobile. He is on the board of several technology companies including Proto Labs (NYSE: PRLB), Progress (NASDAQ: PRGS), Chyronhego, Cloudsense, and SingleDigits.

Rainer started his career at McKinsey & Company after earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT. He was born in Germany.

Jim Chilton, CIO Cengage

Jim Chilton is a five-time CIO with broad business experience in global enterprise software, high tech, education, biomedical and manufacturing industries. With 25+ years of experience in both start-ups and larger businesses, he has driven technology and business system innovations throughout his career. Early on, he focused on business process consulting and system turnarounds for high-growth start-ups. Jim has held executive level positions at several technology companies, including 15 years as CIO of SOLIDWORKS, followed by CIO at parent-company Dassault Systemes, a top-10 enterprise software company, supporting the global, multi-billion-dollar business, and continued there in a go-to-market Vice President Strategy role for software-as-a-service and cloud-based products. In his spare time Jim is an active Advisor to several Boston based startup companies, including Actifio, Cloud Zero and was an Advisor/ Investor in SimpliVity prior to the acquisition by HP. Jim is also a member of the Apprenti Massachusetts Advisory Board. Currently he is CIO at Cengage, a $1.6B, global education and technology company based in Boston. He is responsible for driving Cengage’s digital transformation and building successful internal technology roadmaps, including the recent launch of the companies first subscription offer; Cengage Unlimited.

Lauren Jones, Massachusetts Director, Apprenti

Lauren Jones serves as the Director for Apprenti Massachusetts, helping to bridge the tech talent and diversity gaps for employers across the Commonwealth. Lauren has over 15 years of experience including ten years in local and state government. Prior to joining Apprenti, Lauren spearheaded partner programming for HUBweek’s 2018 regional innovation festival, managing collaborative events and initiatives with over 200 companies in Greater Boston. While serving in local government, Lauren created and led the city of Boston’s Business Strategy Unit in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development. During her time in Governor Deval Patrick’s administration, Lauren served as Director of Policy & Communications for Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray; Director of Communications in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development; and manager of a statewide economic development incentive program focused on job creation. Lauren has a Master of Public Administration from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Providence College. She serves on the New England Region’s Board of Trustees for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.