Next Level Catapult Expands Early-Career Talent Capabilities Through Acquisition of Apprentice

NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Next Level Catapult (NLC), the leadership and organizational development firm that supports growth-oriented CEOs and their teams, today announced the acquisition of Apprentice, the early-career talent platform founded by entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author Dave Kerpen. Apprentice connects high-performing university students with companies seeking immediate support, stronger execution, and a pipeline of emerging leaders.

Due to the significant growth of Next Level Catapult and its expanding ecosystem of services, Catapult Group Holdings (CGH) has been established as the newly created portfolio company that now houses NLC, Trajectory Recruiting, Trebuchet Marketing, and Apprentice. This structure reflects the broader suite of solutions NLC brings to CEOs who want clarity, capability, and scalable support across their organizations.

"CEOs are running leaner organizations while expectations continue to rise," said Sherry Orel, Partner at Catapult Group Holdings and Founder of Next Level Catapult. "Apprentice gives smaller and mid-sized companies an efficient way to bring in high-quality early-career talent quickly and meaningfully. This strengthens execution without the long lead time or cost of traditional hiring, and it preserves essential entry-level pathways that have been disappearing due to AI."

Unlike short-term internship programs, Apprentice was built for continuity. Participating companies work with their apprentices for 10 to 15 hours per week throughout the academic year, deepening contribution and delivering measurable impact. Students gain practical, real-world experience while leaders receive consistent support on meaningful projects.

"Apprentice has always been about opening doors for ambitious young adults who want hands-on learning," said Dave Kerpen, co-Founder of Apprentice and incoming Board member and advisor. "Joining forces allows us to expand that mission. Companies want early-career talent who can contribute quickly, and students want real experience. Together we can scale that exchange."

"Leaders do not have the time to build high-quality internship or apprenticeship programs from scratch anymore," said Brad Hajart, CEO of Catapult Group Holdings, who will oversee day-to-day operations for Apprentice. "The platform will deliver a turnkey system with talent, structure, and tools that make the experience valuable for both companies and students and lead to long-term engagement and to full-time roles after graduation."

Together, NLC and Apprentice will continue building programs that help companies:

• Quickly onboard capable early-career talent without adding internal headcount
• Reduce operational strain by avoiding the time and cost of sourcing and managing interns internally
• Ensure apprentices gain meaningful, resume-ready experience tied to real work
• Build a stronger and more reliable early-career talent pipeline
• Increase contribution and continuity through long-term engagement

About Next Level Catapult
Next Level Catapult helps growth-minded CEOs and leadership teams build clarity, capability, and sustainable scale through strategic planning, leadership development, and organizational performance programs. https://nextlevelcatapult.com/

About Catapult Group Holdings
Catapult Group Holdings is a multi-entity portfolio that helps organizations grow through leadership development, scalable operations, sales and marketing systems, and talent infrastructure. CGH includes Next Level Catapult, Trajectory Recruiting, Trebuchet Marketing, and Apprentice. https://catapultgroup.co

About Apprentice
Apprentice connects high-performing university students with companies that need flexible, capable early-career talent. Students work on real client projects across diverse industries, building practical skills while helping organizations increase capacity and advance key initiatives. https://chooseapprentice.com 

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SOURCE Next Level Catapult