Reskilling and upskilling through modern apprenticeships
Part of our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, the Adobe Digital Academy offers career switchers the education and experience they need to launch successful careers in user experience (UX) design, data science, and web development.
To help other companies build their own modern apprenticeship programs, we’ve created an open-source playbook that explains our process and offers tips and best practices. Explore Adobe’s open-source playbook to discover how to build your own apprenticeship program.
The story of Adobe Digital Academy.
Thinking outside the box by looking outside the industry.
When considering ways to bring more diverse candidates to Adobe, we wondered about capable people who work in different fields but have an interest in technology. What if they just needed support getting into the tech industry — and what if Adobe could provide that support?
We knew that a technology career could change the life of someone coming from a field that offers fewer opportunities. And because we’d be targeting career switchers from diverse backgrounds, our engineering teams could benefit from a wealth of new perspectives.
Providing education, support, and opportunity.
The Adobe Digital Academy awards promising candidates with scholarships to attend an intensive three-month web development boot camp at General Assembly. Each scholarship includes tuition as well as a living stipend so candidates can focus full-time on the boot camp.
Once they complete the boot camp, qualified students can interview for technical apprenticeships at Adobe. To help ensure our candidates' success, we focus the program on growth mindset and provide them with ongoing feedback and a supportive community. Each candidate also works with three mentors: one from the technical team, one from an Adobe employee network with which the intern identifies, and one Digital Academy program graduate. Ultimately, many of our candidates go on to pursue full-time positions at Adobe.
“Digital Academy provided a level of purpose and confidence in myself that I didn’t have before. It gave me the opportunity to be a lifelong learner. I think the fact that Adobe took a leap of faith on this program, and its success, is just a testament to what the industry at large can do if these types of programs continue to grow.”
– Ameer Brown, Adobe Digital Academy graduate, software quality engineer
Starting small and making progress.
Since establishing the academy in 2016, our Digital Academy hires have had a 96% retention rate and 50% have been promoted within their first year on staff.
Our Digital Academy alumni hires have increased their career and earning potential while bringing tremendous value and fresh approaches to our engineering teams. It’s a win-win situation that continues to inspire us as we work to foster greater diversity and inclusion.
To help other companies build their own modern apprenticeship programs, we released an open-source playbook in September 2019 that explains our process and offers tips and best practices.
We plan to continue to evolve the Digital Academy and expand it to additional locations and technical functions over time. Additional details available on the program FAQ.
