Apprenticeship creates valuable work experience for students

Updated on: Monday, November 23, 2009

Apprenticeship, a model of learning that involves training under the wings of an industry professional, and earning at the same time, has been around since time immemorial. Apprenticeship, an effective method of work-based learning, has managed to remain a highly preferred technique. It is considered vital and highly useful in professions ranging from medicine to photography and law to carpentry.

While classroom education may teach the history, law, ethics, methods and basics of a profession, apprenticeship actually prepares the student for the workplace by providing them with a practical training.

The advantages of the model are manifold. Primarily, it allows the student to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to a practical situation. Once the student learns the difference in the success of a solution on paper and in practical application, he/she can be guided by a mentor to improve in the chosen field. Nowhere is this more important than in the field of medicine. “Asking a junior doctor right out of the classroom to single handedly treat a patient without supervision can be particularly risky. Faced with a real life medical situation, they might forget something they learnt from their textbooks. So they have to mandatorily apprentice under the guidance of a senior doctor till they are ready,” says dermatologist Dr. Bindu Rani.

By working with the mentor, the protégé learns the numerous tricks of the trade and becomes more equipped to handle real world problems related to the profession. Sasikumar, a student of photography agrees. “Photography includes many tricks to substitute light, colour etc which you might never learn about in the classroom,” he says.

Lessons in management and in marketing your skill are included in the apprenticeship process. “In any profession, to be successful, it is important to develop an individual style and market oneself properly. Unless this is done, you just remain an average worker,” says Prashant Nair, a wedding videographer. His assistant Nitin adds, “Once you apprentice under a professional, you also learn to set up your own client base and also develop your own set of contacts.”

However, one aspect of apprenticeship that sets it apart from other kinds of training such as internship is the remuneration for the services rendered.

Minimum wages have been set for apprentices in the organised sector as per the Apprentices Act of 1961. Even though the wages may differ, it is very well compensated for by the experience.

But it's not just the protégés who benefit from apprenticeships. The mentors also profit from the process. Owing to the assistance provided by the apprentices, their work becomes easier. An electrician, Sukumar, says “Ever since I employed a youth as my apprentice, my work gets finished quicker due to the added assistance. This also enables me to take up more work.” It is therefore no wonder that even Donald Trump, a well-known American business person and a television personality, is looking to hire apprentices.

Apprenticeships have today even become a qualifier to apply for certain jobs. It shows that the candidate has the relevant work experience and the soft skills required for the job. However, while apprenticeships are a way of enhancing one's skills for many, for some, it is the only way to learn a trade. This particularly holds true for people pursuing certain blue collar jobs and offbeat professions such as DJing, pet grooming, hairstyling and so on. Since most banks do not provide educational loans for such courses, aspirants are left with no other choice but to pursue apprenticeships. However, this being a slow process, it could take even a year before the protégé is ready to work independently.

Since a mentor can only train a small number of students at a time and since the number of students outnumbers the number of mentors disproportionately, finding a mentor to apprentice with becomes a mammoth task.

To buffer the problem , the HRD ministry has set up four different Boards of Apprentice Training in Mumbai, Kolkata, Kanpur and Chennai. Both students and employers can register with the Board to find mentors or apprentices.

The apprenticeship model, with its several benefits , is not only a good way to earn while you learn but also an added advantage on the way to hearing – You're Hired!

Apprenticeship creates valuable work experience for students

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