For the apprenticeship agency structure, we’re borrowing a little from the Jedi, a little from the martial arts world. There are levels to the Apprenticeship, and everyone must demonstrate the same level of commitment and drive to reach each new level. Those who are just beginning on the Learning path are called Acolytes.
Acolytes must attend at least 10 website evaluations in order to qualify to apply for their Level 1 Certificate. They will be able to demonstrate their attendance at these evaluations because attendees at each event get a unique NFT assigned via a POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol), basically a neat little online attendance tracker on the blockchain.
Once an Acolyte has attended at least 10 website evaluation events, they unlock the ability to apply for their Level 1 Certificate. To apply for this certificate, the Acolyte will create a slide deck stakeholder presentation for any one of the 10 website evaluations they attended. The presentation should be delivered in the form of a 5-minute video, walking through the findings of the evaluation and recommendations they made. Acolytes will have access to all of the previous presentations made by Maigen to learn from.
Once Acolytes have received their Level 1 Certification, they can sign up for paying roles on the Evaluation Team. They are officially Level 1 Apprentices. The pay is $25/hour
Once Apprentices have completed a website evaluation sitting in each of the paid Evaluation Team roles at least once, they qualify for Level 2 Apprenticeship. Apprentices working toward Level 2 Certification will also gain access to the Practical Website Accessibility Course. They must complete the entire course and provide meaningful feedback as part of their learning path. Pay increases to $30 per hour at Level 2 Apprenticeship. Level 2 Apprentices also gain access to Professional and Personal Development coaching and curriculum.
Level 3 Certification is going to be challenging. This certification requires the Apprentice to follow the process of seeking out a client for a website evaluation, leading the website evaluation and putting together the stakeholder presentation. This level of certification requires the Apprentice to deliver the presentation to the stakeholder virtually (recorded) or in person (recording optional) and submit the slide deck and recording for review.
My anticipation is that, by Q2 2025, Level 3 Apprentices will be completing client work, and their pay increases to $35 per hour. Apprentices will work in Pod Teams of 3 with Maigen or a senior-level available to consult/supervise if needed.