Blending education and experience is not a new concept. Apprenticeships were informally adopted as a way of passing down trades from generation to generation in the Middle Ages, and the first formal training systems date back more than 450 years to the reign of Elizabeth I. After a lull in popularity, so-called modern apprenticeships were launched in the 1990s, intended to address skills gaps and support young people to find roles with fair pay and opportunities to gain qualifications.
Overall, the number of people taking up apprenticeships has fallen short of the proposed 500,000 a year, meaning it is not yet necessarily seen as a mainstream alternative to further education for school-leavers. There is work to be done on advocating for the benefits, both among employers to encourage them to launch or expand schemes, and among those seeking a route into their chosen career.
But if we stop looking at a national level and focus on what an apprenticeship can actually provide for someone with the right attitude, that is when we truly see why they can be the foundation of a flourishing career.
Learning the lessons
The young learner, now a graduate and mentor, who tours Welsh colleges giving talks about the benefits of his company’s apprenticeship programme. The teenager once overcome by nerves who now stands up in front of senior colleagues and confidently gives presentations. The apprentice who had never travelled alone who now meets clients up and down the UK.
These are all real-life examples. And they all reveal the extra lessons apprenticeships can teach, those which go way beyond the theories and textbooks of a university lecture hall or a college classroom. The self-assurance, the teamwork, and even the beginnings of skills needed to move into leadership positions in the future.
Used to their maximum benefit, apprenticeships are about far more than simply enabling people to earn while they learn. It is about knowing how to operate as part of not only your own team but the wider commercial entity. Experiencing the adrenaline of an urgent problem arising, which has real-world implications, and the euphoria of being able to solve it. The spotlight being turned on you in a meeting and needing to be calm, confident and detailed in your response.
Under pressure, but not alone
In the world of education, a deadline might be missed, a lesson not attended, or a concept not understood. And all of these may have repercussions for the individual. But in reality, beyond the learner and their end grade, there is very little at stake. Throw someone into an apprentice role and there are suddenly consequences to contend with. Missing a deadline might mean losing a customer. Not showing up without a very valid reason is simply not acceptable. And getting something wrong could impact the quality of the product or service your company offers.
There is a very real accountability to your actions as an employee, and it is the reason we see good apprentices not only learning quickly, but also developing a sense of responsibility, a motivation to get it right, and a real maturity about the way they approach their work in a very short space of time.
Of course, the beauty of an apprenticeship is that, while much more rests on your shoulders than that of a student, there is always a safety net. Line managers, colleagues and senior leaders are always there to lend a hand, to explain new concepts, to showcase best practice, and to spot potential issues before they snowball into a problem.
There is a lot asked of apprentices, but equally in companies with strong schemes, there is a lot of support around them so they know they can ask whenever they need a hand. And those are other key life lessons: learning to rely on colleagues and having them rely on you, and learning to ask for help when you are out of your depth.
A stepping stone to bigger roles
With the right structure and investment of resources, apprenticeship programmes have all of this potential and more, enabling people not only to learn and earn, but also shaping their early career and providing a stepping stone to bigger and better roles. Very early on, managers can often spot those with the potential to succeed, meaning their abilities can be honed and their capabilities stretched from the start of their career.
Education absolutely has its place, but when combined with the workplace and life skills that an apprenticeship offers, there are so many benefits for both the individual and the company they work for. And if that does not encourage more business leaders to launch or expand their programmes, then what will?
