From Job Scams to the Kohl’s Mobile App

When Derek Pietila discovered Apprenti, he was facing one of the hardest points in his life. He had just been laid off, his wife was pregnant, and every job posting he saw looked like a scam. When he came across the Apprenti application, he assumed it was the same and only filled it out because finding work had become his full-time responsibility. Everything changed the moment he was accepted and received his training laptop. With a background in information services and years of tech exposure that had never led to the right opportunity, Derek finally had a real pathway into the career he had always wanted.

Apprenti placed him with Kohl’s where he began contributing to meaningful software projects. The team had not expected to start from scratch with a new apprentice, but Derek’s persistence, work ethic, and determination quickly earned the respect of his coworkers. He moved onto the mobile app team where he worked on features used by customers every day. One of his latest contributions involved advertising code expected to increase revenue by more than two thousand dollars per week. Coming from a toxic workplace environment, the supportive culture at Kohl’s changed his life. Derek now works in a healthy, encouraging space that allows him to grow, support his family, and make an impact through technology.