Welcoming the New 2023 Apprentices

Grace Lau -

As part of our ongoing dedication and commitment to uplift the design+tech community, we welcomed the 10 new apprentices into our DIA Design Guild Program. The program is dedicated to breaking down barriers for new professionals in the field who are looking for an opportunity to gain guidance and mentorship while having the option to gain valuable industry experience with client projects.

Since Grace wasn’t part of the interview process this year, it was her first time meeting everyone in real-time. It was hard not to get swept up with the excitement and emoji reactions.

We ultimately accepted 11 apprentices. One mentor vouched to take on an additional person so we were able to bring on one more apprentice. This year’s group brings out more geographic diversity than in previous years. Besides the 2 mentors located in Italy and Bolivia, we also have 3 apprentices from outside the United States, specifically Canada, Sweden, and Nigeria. Coincidentally, we added 4 more apprentices who are in the Southern California area. We swear, it was really a coincidence!

The cohort this year again comes from a variety of different work experiences, from public service librarian to occupational therapist, to payroll specialist, clinical research coordinator, distribution coordinator, to name a few. We’re also seeing more awareness and interest in content design and accessibility research.

Today, we’re excited to welcome the 11 people who are joining the Apprentice Program at DIA Design Guild.

Here’s what people are excited about or are looking forward to in the program:

  • Doing something alongside learning
  • More structured and guidance from an experienced UX practitioner
  • Generally very excited about DIA’s mission and values

We want to stop and acknowledge the trust that everyone (mentors and apprentices) are putting in DIA Design Guild. We’ve been very intentional about what and how we’re sharing information. Whether it’s the onboarding experience or the application process, we appreciate and thank all the people who have reached out, applied, and subscribed to our newsletter.

Meanwhile, some things that we’re trying out this year include more socializing and learning opportunities such as the Book Club, Game Club, and Office Hours. We’re not changing everything though. We’re using Miro, Figma/FigJam, and Notion/Coda as appropriate to demonstrate communication and collaboration. We’re being intentional in helping apprentices gain fluency and familiarity with these tools.

Looking forward to a new year with everyone!

Read more about how we got to this year’s cohort:

How we got to 10: the 2023 cohort edition
Last year when we selected apprentices, Grace screened the applications and did all the interviews. This year, with more mentors onboard and a will to strive for a slower-paced, happy work balance, the process we went through to select apprentices changed a bit, starting with the tools we used and
DIA Design GuildGrace Lau
Accepting Apprentice Applications for 2023
DIA Design Guild is accepting applications for the 2023 apprentice cohort that starts in late March and lasts about 9 months.
DIA Design GuildGrace Lau

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