Latest news with #RyanCraig
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Is Experience Via Apprenticeship Degrees A New College Degree Pathway?
'Artificial intelligence snaps up good entry-level positions [so] entry-level jobs start to look like today's mid-levels, which demand years of experience,' writes Ryan Craig, Managing Director at Achieve Partners. The result for college graduates who are career beginners is an experience gap, where requirements for good entry-level jobs are higher than in the past. In cybersecurity, for example, Tier 1 entry-level jobs that involve detection and response are now automated. This creates new entry-level analyst jobs requiring at least four years of experience, placing a higher premium on demonstrated experience or knowing what to do with the skills individuals have. Another example comes from OpenAI researchers, who showed how ChatGPT could perform thousands of tasks that cover more than 1,000 occupations defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. The effect is to 'sever the career ladder of industries like finance and law,' writes Molly Kinder of the Brooking Institution. The problem will worsen as industry-specific language models develop, with employers adding years of job experience to entry-level job descriptions. A final example comes from Steve Burns of New Trader U. He describes how technology, changes in the job application process, and corporate strategy are reshaping the entry-level job market. The result is a 'trend of entry-level jobs requiring 3 to 5 years of experience.' Kathleen deLaski, writing in Who Needs College Anymore, summarizes the situation this way: 'Hiring managers are looking for candidates with experience, and they want to help students cross the 'experience chasm.' If this holds true, college should deliver graduates with [work] A college degree typically does not include work experience linked to the students' academic major, creating an experience gap. Apprenticeship programs allow individuals to earn a living by working, learn from mentors in the workplace and classroom, and receive an employer credential while taking on little to no student debt. This earn-and-learn experience-based apprenticeship model is a way to solve the experience gap problem, making apprenticeships a new degree pathway. The United Kingdom developed such an apprenticeship degree program, which leads to a debt-free bachelor's or master's degree from a university. The program is offered to 18- and 19-year-olds and lower-level workers who want to acquire new knowledge and skills to advance to other careers. Degrees are offered in fields that typically require academic work, such as health and the sciences, business and administration, and aerospace. Since the employer and the government pay a portion of the cost, students are not eligible for student loans. Germany is another example of this approach, with its more than 200 institutions of applied sciences. 'These relatively new universities attract a broad range of students who want to pursue postsecondary studies but with clear practical applications,' writes higher education analyst Ben Wildavsky. These institutions enroll about half (48%) of new undergraduates compared to traditional universities (51%). They partner with employers on dual studies programs that combine applied science degrees with apprenticeships. Most degree courses are in technology, engineering, economics, design, or the social sciences. This degree-granting model is being adapted to educator training in the U.S. The non-profit Reach University has undergraduate and graduate programs that are debt-free teacher apprenticeships that include bachelor's and master's degrees for graduates. Reach works nationally with over 400 school partners and has credit transfer agreements with over 20 community colleges. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission accredits its programs. The non-profit National Center for Grow Your Own helps states, school districts, and other organizations start registered educator apprenticeship programs. They have programs for aspiring teachers, principals, and current educators who want additional certification in special education and English language learning. The non-profit Western Governors University enrolls over 150,000 students in competency-based online learning programs, including K-12 education. Its School of Education has over 1,200 students enrolled in Grow Your Own and apprenticeship programs across 30 states. It recently acquired Craft Education, a technology platform that integrates work-based learning experiences like apprenticeships to expand its degree apprenticeship programs. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredits its programs. Community colleges, non-profit organizations, and states are also starting programs. For example, the Community College System of New Hampshire now has three apprenticeship degree programs for early-care education leaders. Boston's Neighborhood Villages operates two programs for early childhood educators in Massachusetts. In Kentucky, the Governor's Office of Early Childhood works with two other state agencies to offer an early childhood administrator director apprenticeship. The U.S. Departments of Education and Labor are also creating more paid registered apprenticeship programs for teaching by combining funds to support this approach. The program seeks to fill teaching jobs by recruiting local community members into teaching careers, including education paraprofessionals, career changers, and high school and college students. In January 2022, Tennessee became the first state to receive Department of Labor approval for a partnership program between Austin Peay State University and the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. Today, 45 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico have received Department of Labor approval to offer teacher apprenticeship programs, with multiple sponsors offering the program. A final type of apprenticeship degree program offers colleges the option to "unbundle" the four-year degree into building blocks, or stackable credentials, earned while working. As an apprentice's career progresses, an individual can choose to proceed along a pathway leading to a degree. A recent Virginia Community College System study shows that such programs typically increase employment by four percentage points and quarterly wages by $375. Since 2016, the Department of Labor has supported a State Apprenticeship Expansion project that includes an Apprenticeship Professionals Learning Network. New third-party organizations called "apprenticeship intermediaries" can also create and expand programs. Ryan Craig, author of Apprentice Nation, suggests that these organizations will be central to America's effort to expand apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship intermediaries can be public, non-profit, or for-profit organizations and can work locally, regionally, statewide, or nationally. They include community colleges, chambers of commerce, or commercial staffing companies that create, run, and pay the up-front costs of apprenticeships, acting as go-betweens and points of contact for all the partners involved in the program. Companies can then "try before they buy" an apprentice and pay a fee to the intermediary for recruiting, training, and matching employees with firms. In 2022, California created the nation's first state-based funding formula for apprenticeships, where intermediaries get paid for every apprentice they hire and train. The economist Robert Lerman has proposed a 10-point plan for how the U. S. can expand apprenticeships so that 30% or more of an age cohort can enroll in them. This plan, which Craig further develops in his book, would entail three priority tasks: creating more apprenticeship intermediaries, developing occupational standards in fields where they do not exist, and expanding the classroom-learning infrastructure for apprentices. To be successful, any effort to expand apprenticeship programs will have to brand and market them as genuine and practical pathways to jobs and opportunity. It will need to create additional apprentice screening and assessment instruments—including digital learning and employment records—for a talent marketplace. It will need to incorporate a full-service counseling and advisory services effort and train more mentors and classroom instructors. Finally, it should offer a research, evaluation, and information program to keep track of successes and lessons learned to improve the program. Our current post-secondary education system creates what law professor Joseph Fishkin calls a "bottleneck" to opportunity. A prime example is the traditional college degree. The earn-and-learn apprenticeship degree breaks through this bottleneck via opportunity pluralism, which holds that people should be encouraged to pursue varied pathways to a career, including those that offer work experience. By valuing both educational and employment outcomes, the new apprenticeship degree model makes the nation's opportunity infrastructure more flexible and pluralistic. Apprenticeship degrees help individuals understand their interests, values, and abilities by "trying on" an occupation while pursuing a degree. They overcome the experience gap problem. Finally, they are based on an opportunity equation that includes what individuals know and whom they know as they create an occupational identity. In short: Knowledge + Relationships + Identity = Opportunity. These programs foster opportunity pluralism at the K-12 and post-secondary levels. This makes the locus of learning the campus and the workplace.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Deputy's dashcam shows moments before disabled vehicle crashed into Safety Harbor Fire Station
The Brief The moments before a disabled vehicle crashed into a fire station can now be seen by the public. Two firefighters were standing in the fire station's driveway when an SUV struck them. They both suffered injuries, with one needing to be airlifted to the hospital. SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - For the first time, what happened in the moments before a disabled vehicle crashed into a fire station can now be seen by the public. PREVIOUS: 2 firefighters hit by SUV at Safety Harbor fire station In dashcam video from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, the moment a deputy finds the disabled red Cadillac SUV stuck in traffic after the car's transmission went out. Moments later, the deputy can be seen using his own cruiser to push the disabled car for several minutes down the road. The backstory The sheriff's office says the woman's brakes weren't working, but it's unclear why. They say she was supposed to turn off onto a golf course but missed the turn. Moments later, she can be seen veering to the right and slamming into the fire station. "I'm going to say yes, it is an accident," Safety Harbor Fire Chief Andrew Hawkins said at the time. "The firefighters were completing their daily duties, and one of those duties for Friday morning is washing the vehicles." Dig deeper Captain Joey Hans and Firefighter Ryan Craig were outside, standing in the driveway, when the SUV struck them. Hans, a 22-year member of the department, faced the worst of it, being thrown into the air and under another vehicle. He was airlifted with serious injuries. Craig, a five-year veteran, was treated at the scene. The driver was taken by ambulance with several injuries. The other firefighters at the station were left stunned. READ: Plant City firefighters seeing high turnover rate, citing workforce and burnout issues "This is truly affecting everybody. We have had crews come in from local departments doing peer support and talking to our members because of what they saw today," Hawkins also said at the time. "I am happy to report that both firefighters have returned to work. Firefighter and paramedic Ryan Craig has returned to full duty, and Captain Joey Hans has returned to light duty. Captain Hans is expected to make a full recovery and return to full duty this summer." The Source FOX 13's Jordan Bowen collected the information in this story. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS LIVE: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Associated Press
28-01-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Bertram Capital Exits Best Version Media
FOSTER CITY, Calif., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bertram Capital ('Bertram') announced today the completion of the sale of Best Version Media ('BVM' or 'the Company') to H.I.G. Capital Partners, a global alternative investment firm. BVM, headquartered in Brookfield, WI, is a provider of print and digital advertising solutions to over 30,000 local small and medium-sized businesses ('SMB'). The transaction represents Bertram's [21]st exit since its launch in 2006. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 'BVM represented a unique opportunity to partner with a talented, visionary group of founders and executives in an important corner of the SMB advertising market. We deployed our Bertram High 5sm strategy and leveraged the capabilities of our in-house IT services team, Bertram Labs, to grow the Company's core community magazine business and introduce a suite of complementary digital services,' said Ryan Craig, Partner at Bertram Capital. 'Dave Durand, Kevin O'Brien and the talented team at BVM have been outstanding partners. Working together, we built a scalable, multi-channel platform that is poised for continued growth.' Since Bertram's investment in BVM, the Company has invested heavily in developing digital services, including targeted advertising solutions, listings, reputation management services, and local sports content. 'The Bertram team, led by Ryan Craig and Mitch Vashon, was the ideal fit for BVM. They enhanced our core business and delivered what they promised in helping support our digital growth initiatives,' said [Dave Durand], Co-Founder of BVM. Kevin O'Brien, CEO of BVM, added, 'Not only did Bertram bring exceptional technology talent in the form of Bertram Labs, but they also helped us strategically improve our business through key hires and a data-focused approach to operations management.' Bertram would like to thank the banking team at Stephens, led by Phyllis Riggins, for leading the BVM sale process. The Stephens team's diligent work positioning BVM as an innovative growth engine enabled this transaction to successfully close. We would also like to acknowledge the supporting work by Canaccord Genuity, led by Edin Trto, for their assistance with the process. About BVM Headquartered in Brookfield, WI, BVM is a leading provider of print and digital advertising solutions for small and medium-sized businesses ('SMBs') across the United States and Canada. The Company operates across over a thousand micro markets, producing curated local content that provides SMB clients across a diverse array of end markets with the tools to effectively showcase their brands and acquire high-value customers. To learn more about BVM, please visit About Bertram Capital Bertram Capital is a private equity firm targeting investments in lower middle market companies. Since its inception in 2006, the firm has raised over $4.0B of capital commitments. In addition to supplying strategic growth capital, Bertram Capital seeks to leverage proprietary processes and services, Bertram High-5sm and Bertram Labs, to empower its portfolio companies to unlock their full business potential. The Bertram High-5sm is an operationally-focused value creation strategy, which includes management augmentation, operational initiative implementation, complementary business acquisition, sales and marketing improvements, and leveraging technology and IP. The cornerstone of this strategy is Bertram Labs, its in-house technology team, which aims to drive growth and value through digital marketing, e-commerce, big data and analytics, application development, and internal and external platform optimization. Bertram Capital V focuses on control investments in business services, consumer and industrial sectors with north of $7.5M of EBITDA. Bertram Ignite I focuses on control and non-control investments in business services, consumer and industrial sectors with a minimum of $3M of EBITDA. Contacts: Partner SOURCE Bertram Capital
