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Digital EcosystemI vividly remember when Microsoft rolled out Windows 95. Designed to actually look like a desktop, with icons for the Recycle Bin, Briefcase, Inbox and other functions, it felt revolutionary, a boon for productivity as well as operations and logistics, and above all, user-friendly. And that innovation was market-proven: Microsoft product designer at the time, Juliette Weiss, noted in a 2017 article for Medium, “It was the most heavily user-tested product in [the company’s] history.”

Several years ago, I was invited to help judge the Rice Business Plan Competition, the largest pitch contest for student founders. These weren't ad hoc groups of kids cooking up the next Facebook in their dorms. Many of the teams were clearly organized by their universities, with MBA candidates assigned to marketing and operations roles and engineering or medical school students in technical positions.

Once the domain of skilled tradespeople like mechanics, electricians, and plumbers, apprenticeships have been expanding their reach—and heading into the office. Companies faced with a labor shortage and ambitious goals for diversifying their workforces are launching apprenticeship programs to hire and train up employees in cyber security, accounting, data analytics, design, business operations, and more—creating opportunities in high-paying, salaried roles for people who have neither industry experience nor a four-year degree.