Oracle ACE Apprentice: A first look at the program’s newest rank, from two developers who started there

Not everyone may know this, but our APEX team is now home to no fewer than seven Oracle ACEs: three Associates, three Pros, and one Director. Which means we can, with a straight face, reference the famous 1960 Western with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen! Two members of that seven have a story worth telling, because they got their start through the program’s newest entry point: they joined as ACE Apprentices a while back, and have since progressed to ACE Associate.

Jokes aside, what is this Apprentice title, and what does it mean? If you’re interested in this information, this is precisely what this article is about. It’s deliberately about the Apprentice rank specifically: what it is, why Oracle created it, how you actually get it (the process is genuinely different from the classic ACE path) If you’re looking for a broader look at the whole program, I have already covered all of that in detail in a separate article.

What is Oracle ACE Apprentice?

ACE Apprentice is the newest and lowest tier in the Oracle ACE Program. The program had three levels (Associate, Pro, Director) for years, so this is the first change to that ladder in a while. Apprentice tier is aimed at people who work with Oracle technology and have real technical knowledge, but are only just starting to share that knowledge publicly. According to Oracle, the level is a good fit for:

• specialists working at organizations that have recently adopted Oracle technology,
• people using Oracle Cloud’s always-free services for their own projects,
• students and recent graduates from technical fields,
• career changers moving into IT.

In practice, though, it’s a fit for anyone who wants to join the Oracle Community through active participation, especially people who don’t yet have the years of conference talks and published articles required by the higher tiers.

The key consideration and a difference between ACE Apprentice and other tiers: Apprentice is meant to be a roadmap, not a gateway. 

What does that mean exactly? Well, the traditional way into the ACE program is a nomination, where you (or someone on your behalf) put your contributions forward, and they’re assessed against a points threshold. That implicitly asks you to already be a contributor before you’re recognized as one. It’s all about advocacy, measured in talks, articles, plugins, forum help, and community organizing, and scored against a points system.

Apprentice tier is different. You don’t wait at a gate until you’ve accumulated enough to be let in, you get a “foot in the door” and a clear path forward. To be honest, it seems like a more welcoming way to bring new people into the community. The key thing, however, is that it’s effective, as our two colleagues can prove: both started as Apprentices and have since reached the Associate level.

The Apprentice tier is built around the Oracle certification. ACEs-to-be pick an area of interest, take the corresponding Oracle University course and then, hopefully, pass the certification exam. In doing so, they enter the program and start learning the required advocacy by writing blog articles, speaking at conferences, and so on. And, step-by-step, they move toward the Associate status.

How to become an Oracle ACE Apprentice

Here’s how the process goes, step by step.

1. Register for the program. First, sign up on the Oracle ACE Program site and choose one of the learning paths there. A tip from experience: use the same email address for your Oracle University certification account and your Apprentice registration (it’ll help you avoid problems down the line, since the two need to line up for your certification to be recognized).
2. Choose a learning path. Select a specific training track within Oracle University. Potential areas include Cloud Infrastructure, AI, Java, Data Management, and many more. It’s important to pick something that fits the work you actually do (or want to do). Remember it’s not just about getting a badge, but also about deepening your knowledge.
3. Complete the course and earn the certificate. Work through your chosen course and pass the associated certification exam. Important detail: the courses and exams are generally paid. However, Oracle periodically runs promotions and offers free exams, so if you want to make use of that, time attempt accordingly.
4. Certificate verification. Once you’ve passed, you need to wait before your certification is verified by an ACE Admin. It should take about 1-2 weeks.
5. Complete your profile. Fill in your ACE Apprentice profile, and wait for a second review by the ACE Program Team. After that, you just need to accept the program’s terms of participation, and that’s it: you are officially added to the Oracle ACE Directory.

What are the benefits of ACE Apprentice?

In general, the benefits are segregated into three areas. They’re more modest than what a Pro or Director receives (which is to be expected), with no CloudWorld pass and no travel support. However, they can still be very helpful for someone who’s just starting out.

Visibility and recognition

• A profile in the official Oracle ACE Directory.
• An official Oracle University badge.
• Digital assets you can use across your social media.

Access to Oracle’s knowledge and teams

• Access to a dedicated Slack channel with Oracle product teams. It’s a direct line to the people who build the technology, which can be very helpful.
• Access to exclusive technical sessions and product overviews.

Professional growth

• Training in the advocacy skills: public speaking, blogging, and personal-brand building.
• Support in growing your social media presence.
• Mentorship opportunities.

As you can see, it isn’t really a list of perks – rather a starter kit for becoming a community contributor, which fits the tier’s identity quite well.

Is it worth it? A few honest thoughts

Since I already share a fuller personal take in our main ACE article, I’ll keep mine short and specific to Apprentice, then hand over to the two colleagues who actually earned the title.

I do believe this level fills a real gap. For years, the honest answer to “how do I get into the ACE program?” question was some version of “become a visible community contributor first, then apply.” And sure, that’s a good and truthful advice, but not every person is a born conference speaker or talented writer. Many capable developers, students with talent and no platform, as well as others – they now have a much clearer entry point into the program.

Of course, there’s a caveat, the same one you know from other tiers: the ACE program isn’t for everyone. You can be an excellent developer and never hold any ACE title – and that’s fine. It’s not a certificate of skill and shouldn’t be treated as a box that must be ticked. If you do have the itch to share knowledge, however, Apprentice is as close to an invitation to the program as you’ll get.

Don’t have to take it from me, though: I’m an ACE Pro looking at Apprentice from the outside. I’ll let the two people who actually started there give you a real view.

Tomas Kucharzyk (tkucharzyk@pretius.com) on why he decided to start at Apprentice and how the path to Associate played out:

Before joining the program, I was already writing articles, speaking at conferences, and creating plugins. I genuinely enjoyed contributing to the Oracle community – sharing new discoveries, writing helpful tutorials, and helping others solve problems. Becoming an Oracle ACE Apprentice felt like a natural next step: I could continue doing what I enjoyed while gaining recognition for my contributions. It also gave me a clear path to grow, eventually leading me to become an Oracle ACE Associate.

Wojciech Sowa (wsowa@pretius.com) on what starting at Apprentice gave him and who he’d recommend it to:

I’d been following news about the ACE Apprentice program from the very start of the initiative. I was curious what it would be like to be part of it and what opportunities it might open up for me. The program offers plenty of benefits, but what I value most is the chance to reach out to other ACEs, ask them directly about a problem I’m wrestling with, and get a genuinely useful answer. ACE Apprentice is a temporary stop on the way to ACE Associate, and that’s exactly how it played out for me. I’d already been sharing knowledge with the Oracle community for a while, so I started logging each new activity on my ACE profile to build up the points I needed. That effort paid off, and today I hold the ACE Associate title.

If this article sparked your interest and you’re thinking about joining the Oracle ACE Program yourself, any of us would be glad to help and answer whatever questions you have. You can reach Tomas and Wojtek at the addresses above, or me at lcieslik@pretius.com.