For early career professionals, kickstarting their professional journey can be both exhilarating and challenging. As they navigate the complexities of the professional world, they need support and guidance to unlock their full potential – such as a meaningful mentorship experience and opportunities for continued learning. The guidance of experienced mentors provides invaluable insights, wisdom, and encouragement to those just embarking on their career journeys, while ongoing learning opportunities equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their fields.
As part of our recent virtual conference for talent acquisition leaders and their teams, the REconference, we asked companies to share how they are rethinking early career recruitment and innovating their strategies around hiring and retaining intern and entry-level talent. In this article, we delve into how Great Hearts Academies, a growing network of 43 public, open-enrollment, tuition-free schools, has reimagined what it means to help entry-level hires get started on the right foot through its intentional mentorship program and subsidized Master’s degree programs.
About Great Hearts Academies:
Great Hearts Academies is a growing network of 43 public, open-enrollment, tuition-free schools in San Antonio (TX), Dallas/Ft. Worth (TX), Phoenix (AZ), Baton Rouge (LA), and Jacksonville (FL). Great Hearts Academies currently provide over 25,000 K-12 students with access to a high quality, classical liberal arts education, without the barriers that often come with private prep schools. With teaching roles open to students from all academic backgrounds, Great Hearts is a great place for recent grads to explore a career in education and make a direct impact on young learners’ lives.
Great Hearts is committed to lifelong learning for not only their students, but also for its teachers. At the beginning of a Great Hearts career in education, staff found having a guide and mentor trained to teach ‘the art of teaching’ was essential for helping a person grow into a quality teacher. That was the inspiration for Great Hearts Academies’ teaching apprenticeship program.
The Great Hearts Apprentice Teacher Program offers new teachers an intentional, individualized course of study and mentorship with a seasoned teacher as they learn the craft of teaching in a classical, liberal arts K-5 environment. This full-time, paid apprenticeship is ideal for individuals who wish to gain valuable experience in the Great Hearts classroom. Upon the successful completion of the program, Apprentices are recommended to lead teaching roles in lower, middle, or upper schools across the network.
An Apprentice Teacher’s role is beyond that of a classroom assistant. In addition to assisting the Lead Teacher with grading, small group/one-on-one instruction, classroom management, and overall classroom structure, the apprentices are expected to engage in thoughtful reflection on the purpose of education, complete additional tasks and utilize the techniques that are learned to guide the students through whole group instruction.
Moreover, teachers are also encouraged to get an advanced degree at one Great Heart Academies’ partner institutions. Great Hearts has developed partnerships with several institutions of higher education that share its commitment to liberal arts education to secure scholarships for its teachers that further reduce the cost of graduate education. Many of these universities and colleges have allocated scholarships specifically for Great Hearts teachers to participate in their programs, and Great Hearts works with these institutions to ensure that their programming is tailored to serve the needs of teachers in classical schools.
By partnering with RippleMatch, Great Hearts Academies has been able to reach candidates in schools and universities they were previously unable to reach. This partnership has allowed them the opportunity to identify and connect with potential candidates / pipeline schools previously unknown to them, increasing the number of quality candidates in their talent pool.
Moreover, RippleMatch has allowed Great Hearts Academies to shorten the time to get quality candidates to their hiring managers and efficiently identify top candidates. What would typically take weeks in the past has been reduced to days, because once recruiters have identified candidates, they already have their key information and resumes on hand to pass to 45 hiring managers located in four different regions. Great Hearts Academies then arranges targeted, group Zoom interviews with hiring managers, and top candidates typically receive offers immediately.
Mentorship and continued learning play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of new grads as they navigate the early stages of their careers, and together serve as catalysts for personal and professional development. By creating unique programming aimed at better supporting incoming talent, organizations like Great Hearts Academies are paving the way for a more confident and capable workforce.
Find more companies who are reimagining their strategies surrounding campus recruiting, DE&I, candidates experience, and employer branding by watching the sessions for REconference on demand here.