Melissa shares her experience making the leap into a new career in tech with Franklin’s Network Engineering Pre-Apprenticeship. Around twenty years ago, Melissa started her career with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Horticulture from the University of California Davis. She's had several different kinds of jobs – from working with animals to customer service – and also became a mom. Then, a life event prompted her to re-evaluate and discover she wanted to make a switch to tech. &nb...

Six years ago, an idea was born on the back of a napkin in a New York restaurant. Instead of relying solely on the same talent pool of computer science college graduates, the IBM zSystems Ecosystem team decided to build its own. Meredith Stowell, Vice President of IBM zSystems Ecosystem at IBM, and her colleagues have been developing and growing the IBM Z Apprenticeship program ever since. “We had been doing apprenticeships in other areas for years and years and years, but not in IT. We wonde...

What is it really like setting up an apprenticeship program? How can skills-based hiring practices set up your workforce for the future? Workforce Futurist and Apprenticeship Guru Christina Arnone talks to Cable Rose about her experiences from the trenches of setting up highly successful apprenticeship programs. She started laying the groundwork for Sprint’s first apprenticeship program back in 2020 – and not only did she have to contend with Covid-19, but also organizational change than...

What do you do when you can’t find enough talented tech workers? For Gary Fusco from M&T Bank the answer is, grow your own. Based in Buffalo, New York, M&T Bank was struggling to find enough tech workers for their IBM zSystems Platform team. And they were facing impending retirement for some of their most experienced team members. As Technology Director, z Platform & Middleware Engineering & OPS, M&T Bank, Gary discusses how M&T collaborated with IBM to become one...

Kim Nichols, Founder and CEO of Franklin Apprenticeships, is on a mission to change the way American companies discover and develop talent. In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Kim talks to host Cable Rose about how Franklin has cracked the code for tech apprenticeships.She shares the highs and lows of building a company that is forging a new path to develop tech talent. She discusses how Franklin landed on its nationally renowned tech apprenticeship model, and her view on what the future hol...

Tim Fry is a veteran of the United States Air Force who holds the distinction of being the first graduate in the country of the Professional Success Coach Registered Apprenticeship. Tim talks about his transition from the military and why apprenticeships are a great path for transitioning service members. He also discusses his role in helping apprentices reach their potential as a Professional Success Coach and Veteran Outreach Manager for Franklin Apprenticeships.“Unlocking your potenti...

Oscar H., a former youth worker for a detention center in Buffalo, New York, describes how his IBM Z Apprenticeship at M&T Bank changed his life.“My apprenticeship was literally the turning table for my life and never in a million years would I have thought that I would be here,” Oscar says.Oscar has nearly completed his apprenticeship, and in this episode, he reflects on his journey over the past year, and what comes next. In 2020, M&T Bank launched its ZDP tech apprenticeship p...

Angie Voght, HR Manager, Black Knight Inc., discusses the strategic imperative of the company's IBM Z Apprenticeship program with our host, Cable Rose, Franklin Apprenticeship Success Coach. Angie shares her experiences supporting apprentices and managers throughout their apprenticeship journey, the challenges of recruiting and retaining tech talent, and the importance of professional skills. BIOGRAPHYAngie Voght, HR Manager, Black Knight Inc.Angie Voght holds over a decade of experience in t...

Introducing Frankly Speaking, the podcast that explores how tech apprenticeships really work. Our host Cable Rose, a Franklin Apprenticeship Success Coach, gives us an insider’s view from the real people who are using tech apprenticeship programs to develop the technical skills that the American economy so desperately needs. About Cable RoseCable Rose is a 21-year retired USAF veteran. Having spent most of his career in the IT realm, he found his calling during his final years as ...