Overview

BuildWithin is a software platform that launched in November 2022 to provide employers with the ability to create, manage, and expand apprenticeship programs in order to accelerate the productivity of new workers in the technology and advanced manufacturing fields.

The initiative was created with $2.4 million in pre-seed funding led by Dundee Venture Capital with participation from Black Capital, an early-stage fund focused on investing in underrepresented founders. BuildWithin’s funding also includes $7.9 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant is part of the Apprentices Building America program, which seeks to strengthen and modernize Registered Apprenticeship programs and enable workers to find a reliable pathway to the middle class.

BuildWithin’s software brings together end-to-end workplace monitoring, learning, task management, and real-time feedback to make apprenticeships scalable. These capabilities can help businesses grow their workforce, maintain compliance, optimize their spending on salaries, and ensure workers are getting needed on-the-job experiences. The initiative is creating accelerated paths to well-paid technology careers for individuals of any background, geography, demographic group or age by establishing apprenticeship hubs in 5 jurisdictions nationwide. The platform aims to addresses the major talent “shortage” problem for employers. and create access to new opportunities for jobseekers.  The apprenticeship hubs will grow the number of local residents participating in registered pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs in the technology and advanced manufacturing fields.

Background

Employers often overlook large talent pools because they are working within outdated frameworks that assume job candidates must have college degrees and 3-5 years of experience to be effective. By helping companies implement apprenticeship programs, companies can change how they view candidates.

The World Economic Forum has predicted that upskilling could boost global GDP by $6.5 trillion and create over 5 million new jobs by 2030. (The value of the goods and services produced in the United States is the gross domestic product—the percentage that GDP grows or shrinks from one period to the next is a way to gauge how the economy is doing, so GDP is watched around the world as an economic barometer.)

Partners

BuildWithin is an approved national intermediary with the U.S. Department of Labor that is backed by Dundee Venture Capital, Black Capital, Atento Capital, and Global Impact Fund II.

References

www.buildwithin.com