The earn-and-learn model has the ability to close the skills gap, says Pierre Dubuc, co-founder and CEO of OpenClassrooms, an online platform which last month had four of its tech skills training programs approved as registered apprenticeships by the U.S. Department of Labor.

WorkingNation sat down with him at Presented by JFF Horizons – See Beyond 2022 in New Orleans.

“Apprenticeships in the [United] States are booming. I see a lot of parallels to Europe – apprenticeships were seen only for trade jobs, unionized jobs. The mix of changes in public policy, funding, employers, and a talent shortage, that shifted completely. Now it’s really mainstream,” says Dubuc.

OpenClassrooms works with large employers such as Amazon, Target, Chipotle, and Microsoft –  employers with a global footprint looking to upscale, rescale their employees and attract new talent through apprenticeship programs. 

“Your tuition fees are covered by your employer. You have a mentor every week. It’s very career oriented, meaning that you have a job from day one, your salary will increase over time as you gain more skills,” he explains.

Learn more about OpenClassrooms.