> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://faq.flatironschool.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# When does the apprenticeship start — Day 1 or Month 5?

It depends on which track you're in.

* Accelerated (16 months): Your apprenticeship starts in Month 2 and runs through Month 16. Month 1 is dedicated to your condensed coursework plus a group collaboration project that builds your portfolio and prepares you for the apprenticeship match. This track is built for engineers with production coding experience.
* Immersive (19 months): Your apprenticeship starts in Month 5 and runs through Month 19 (15 months). The first four months are dedicated to building the engineering foundation you'll need, then you transition into ~20 hours/week of coursework plus ~20 hours/week of apprenticeship through the rest of the program.

Either way, the apprenticeship is in a production-aligned environment, supervised by a workplace supervisor, and Flatiron handles the employer match — you don't need to find your own placement.