Connected to Careers
How WestCal Academy scaled registered apprenticeships Nationwide for $10/month per line.
The Challenge: Apprenticeships can be one of the surest routes to steady employment. Still, 53% of apprentices leave within the first year. The toughest part is that the people who benefit most from earning while learning – justice-impacted youth, veterans and service members changing careers, dislocated workers, rural residents – are often the ones without dependable internet. For them, a spotty signal isn’t a minor hassle. It can shut down applications, derail interviews, interrupt coursework, and cut off a paycheck. WestCal Academy decided that couldn’t be the reason someone fell out of the pipeline.
What you’ll learn in this case study
- How to treat connectivity like basic infrastructure, not a nice-to-have. WestCal plans for a 5G hotspot for every student, so no one gets screened out because there’s no internet at home.
- Why predictable, unlimited pricing changes how nonprofits can plan. At $10/month per line with no surprise overages, WestCal, supported by workforce contracts instead of grants, scaled up without its costs climbing in lockstep.
- How connectivity turned into a recruiting and retention lever. Handing an apprentice a 5G device with two years of service gives a clear reason to sign up, and a practical reason to stick with it day after day.
- How one campus can train people everywhere. Instructors stream live lab sessions through hotspots, taking WestCal’s hands-on approach to apprentices across all 59 states and territories, without moving a single learner.
- How mobility keeps a traveling team on track. Higher-gain hotspots replaced the scramble for coffee shop Wi-Fi, letting staff keep working even when the road cuts through coverage gaps.
Download the case study
Get more insights into these and other takeaways that any education or workforce group can
use when sizing up an investment in connectivity.
Connected to Careers
How WestCal Academy scaled registered apprenticeships Nationwide for $10/month per line.
The Challenge: Apprenticeships can be one of the surest routes to steady employment. Still, 53% of apprentices leave within the first year. The toughest part is that the people who benefit most from earning while learning – justice-impacted youth, veterans and service members changing careers, dislocated workers, rural residents – are often the ones without dependable internet. For them, a spotty signal isn’t a minor hassle. It can shut down applications, derail interviews, interrupt coursework, and cut off a paycheck. WestCal Academy decided that couldn’t be the reason someone fell out of the pipeline.
What you’ll learn in this case study
- How to treat connectivity like basic infrastructure, not a nice-to-have. WestCal plans for a 5G hotspot for every student, so no one gets screened out because there’s no internet at home.
- Why predictable, unlimited pricing changes how nonprofits can plan. At $10/month per line with no surprise overages, WestCal, supported by workforce contracts instead of grants, scaled up without its costs climbing in lockstep.
- How connectivity turned into a recruiting and retention lever. Handing an apprentice a 5G device with two years of service gives a clear reason to sign up, and a practical reason to stick with it day after day.
- How one campus can train people everywhere. Instructors stream live lab sessions through hotspots, taking WestCal’s hands-on approach to apprentices across all 59 states and territories, without moving a single learner.
- How mobility keeps a traveling team on track. Higher-gain hotspots replaced the scramble for coffee shop Wi-Fi, letting staff keep working even when the road cuts through coverage gaps.
Download the case study
Get more insights into these and other takeaways that any education or workforce group can use when sizing up an investment in connectivity.
