Apprenticeship is a big area of focus for us at Two Octobers. Why? Because it provides an onramp to a career in digital marketing for all students, regardless of race, color, creed, or socioeconomic background. Apprenticeship levels the playing field and creates economic opportunity for everyone. It is intertwined with our values as an organization and as a B Corp.
A college education does not have to be a mandate in order to have a thriving digital marketing career. Case in point, we have two employees who have been strong contributors at Two Octobers. One, Jamil Chughtai, our Head of Apprenticeship, did not find his way into digital marketing through college. Jamil found his path to digital marketing outside of an academic environment, learning about digital marketing online and using his knowledge to secure his first entry-level job at an online software retailer. Two, Raquel Torres-Miramonte, our first apprentice, was working in a manual labor role before finding Two Octobers. Our apprenticeship program provided her with a very different path than the one she was originally on.
As we embarked on how to best get the word out, teachers popped up on our list pretty quickly. Teachers are in the trenches with students, day in and day out, and they see firsthand the different qualities, interests, and aptitudes of their students. Teachers play a role in career guidance with their students. They are often seen as trusted adults who can help them discover their future aspirations without limits. We realized that we wanted to make sure teachers knew of our apprenticeship program and knew what to look for in potential candidates.
This summer, we welcomed Denver Public Schools into our office. Our co-founder, Nico Brooks, led a half-day seminar with very dedicated teachers coming in on their summer break, to highlight how teachers can link their subjects to the world of digital marketing. We shared what to look for within their students in order to identify someone as a potential apprentice. Typical traits are: problem-solving abilities, helper mindset, collaboration, and self-directed learning.
If teachers can more easily identify these entry level skills in their students and map those to digital marketing careers, it’s a win-win. We can bring more students into an apprenticeship, bring greater diversity to digital marketing, and create better economic outcomes.
Photo (R-L) Raquel Torres-Miramonte, Apprentice and Jamil Chughtai, Head of Apprenticeship
“I am excited about the opportunity to help others also be successful in digital marketing careers. I know there is more than one way to be successful.” – Jamil Chughtai
It takes dedication, vision and focus to help employers, educators, and apprentices to shift what digital marketing can and should be – a well-paying career for anyone who is interested and has the right aptitudes. By engaging with our teaching community, we provide context which helps them identify potential apprentices who would have otherwise slipped through the cracks of a broken system.
We thank the Denver Public Schools for participating in our Apprenticeship program. If you’re an educator, an employer or potential apprentice we invite you to contact [email protected] for more information.
