DENVER — March 21, 2023 — Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado’s leading workers’ compensation insurance provider, is seeking applications for its award-winning work-based apprenticeship program. In partnership with CareerWise Colorado, Pinnacol offers a three-year apprenticeship program to high school students in the Denver metro area. The recruiting period ends in May, and students can apply today. Sophomores and juniors in participating school districts are encouraged to apply.
Pinnacol’s youth-focused apprenticeship program is nationally recognized as one of the most established and robust youth apprenticeships in the CareerWise Colorado system. A feature in The Denver Post highlighted Pinnacol as a model of a successful youth apprenticeship program. The U.S. Department of Labor recently visited because the program is at the center of advocacy efforts by its Apprenticeship Building America program and JPMorgan Chase’s global skills readiness initiative to expand apprenticeship programs in Colorado and across the nation. The program is also the subject of a forthcoming documentary film about the shifting job landscape and its effect on how young people will acquire careers.
About the program
Pinnacol’s apprenticeship program follows a “learn and earn” model that pays apprentices as they prepare for a career. Students attend high school part time and work at Pinnacol part time, all while earning a competitive hourly wage and access to the robust perks and benefits Pinnacol offers.
Pinnacol apprentices are prepared for entry-level jobs through professional training and real-world experience. They partake in classroom-style training from dedicated support staff and serve on corporate teams alongside their adult colleagues, doing meaningful work that positively impacts the business. They can earn college credit from postsecondary partners like CSU Global, and all students receive at least one industry certification.
Hear more from Pinnacol apprentices and program staff.
Program recognition
The apprenticeship program has received numerous awards for its ability to offer transformational opportunities to students while creating a pipeline of trained young talent. Since its inception in 2017, the program has enrolled 63 apprentices trained by more than 100 coaches and supervisors with the support of two dedicated apprentice program staffers. Thirteen apprentices have been hired for full-time positions at Pinnacol, and three apprentices have been promoted internally to midlevel roles, proving the program to be integral to the company’s talent acquisition and development strategy.
Government and business leaders are keenly aware of the power of apprenticeship, thanks in part to former Pinnacol apprentice and current Pinnacol employee Naarai Navarro, who testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP Committee) as part of the “Getting America Ready to Work — Successful on the job, apprenticeship training programs to help workers and businesses get ready to work” hearing.
Pinnacol continues to set the standard and prove how powerful paid training opportunities can be.
Interested and eligible students should apply today to become an apprentice.
