I’m surprised there is not a compensation scheme something like what follows:

Setup: Bring on promising “apprentice” and have 3 year roadmap to reaching “solid individual contributor” status

- year 1: pay at market rate for standard recent college grad but payout 60% in year 1, 10% in year 2, 10% in year 3, 10% in year 4, 10% in year 5

- year 2: beginning of year give merit raise to full salary amount based on market rates but payout 75% in year 2, 5% in year 3, 10% in year 4, 10% in year 5

- year 3: beginning of year give merit raise to full salary but payout 90% in year 3, 5% in year 4, 5% in year 5

- beginning in year 4 get merit raise and receive 100% of salary cash that year as well as the 10% from year 1 and 5% from year 2

- year 5: includes 10% from year 1, 10% from year 2, 5% from year 3

If you can’t keep your employee after that, it’s on you, but they’ve def stuck around long enough to pay you back in productivity

(edit: I realize my math is a bit off but I’m on a cellphone on the move, you’re gonna have to mentally fix the math, but you get the idea)