The topic is well beaten, and often gets revisited. Jeff Atwood & Scott Hanselman have both posted on the issue of learning and programming. It's a big issue because it is the heart of why there are so many people out there who think they can program, but clearly can't. For a few years now I've been harbouring a solution that I think could work.

The problem is that most University degrees teach you very little about the craft of programming in the business context. The other issue is that, the great programmers have 10 years experience before they hit 21.

So here is my crazy idea. Instead of hiring wannabe's fresh out of university, with 0 years experience, why not scout the keen and interested talent from high schools and provide 2-3 year apprenticeships to kids who want to get into the programming game ASAP? Sit your newbie alongside your best programmers and let them soak up the goodness. Start practicing paired programming after a while. I think it's the perfect environment to learn, while being a productive member of the team.

Perhaps the real reason why we as an industry find it hard to get good talent is because we expect the rest of the world to nurture it for us. So many other skills based industries have recognized this as the way ahead; the trades, sales, marketing and so forth. They have seen growth in their talent pool, whereas the IT industry seems to be struggling.

Could it work?