Apprentice

Now we’ve discussed what is a ‘intern’ lets move onto an ‘apprentice’

Growing up after the war, kids were told to go to school to learn enough to procure employment before the baby comes. For the ones who wanted to be lawyers and doctors, that would mean going to college after high school.  For everyone else there were trade schools and apprenticeship.

An apprentice is a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period at low wages.

 An apprentice is also known as a trainee • learner • probationer • tyro • novice • mentee • neophyte • raw recruit • fledgling • new boy/girl • novitiate • pupil • student • beginner • starter • rookie • greenhorn • tenderfoot.

An apprentice is one bound by indenture to serve another for a prescribed period with a view to learning an art or trade.

 An apprentice is one who is learning by practical experience under skilled mentoring.

Job descriptions that required such training are • Able seaman • Carpenter • Chef • Childcare development specialist • Construction craft laborer • Dental assistant • Electrician • Elevator constructor.

The average starting wage for apprentices is $15.00 an hour, with wage increases as apprentices advance in skills and knowledge.

All apprenticeship completers earn a national, industry-recognized credential.

Employers might ask for two or more GCSE (GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) – formerly known as O-levels. A single-subject exam taken upon completion of two years of study at the age of 16 (age at US 10th grade). Students take anywhere between 5-10 subjects, which, if passed, are generally considered equivalent to a US high school diploma.) For some intermediate apprenticeships, however, you might not need any formal qualifications. If you don’t have GCSE’s in English and Math, though, you’ll usually be required to take a basic numeracy and literacy test.

The goal was to get that diploma. It wasn’t so much about parading across the stage in a choir robe and a flat hat with a tassel, that piece of paper was going to get you a job. The college diploma was going to get you a better job and more money.

It doesn’t work that way.

No matter how many test have been passed and whatever major(s) were accomplished, when you step in that office or shop, you know nothing. School allowed you to think, but the practicality of the workplace is different than theory.

When I graduated, my first job was an awakening of what I didn’t know. I was shown where everything was, how to perform the task assigned to me, where I was going to sit and when I could take breaks. Don’t know when my apprenticeship was over, but they kept me on for almost four decades so I guess that piece of paper was worth the price.

Interns

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, the term is now used for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.

Students and graduates looking to gain relevant skills and experience in a particular field typically undertake them. Employers benefit from these placements because they often recruit employees from their best interns, who have known capabilities, thus saving time and money in the long run.

Internships are usually arranged by third-party organizations that recruit interns on behalf of industry groups. Rules vary from country to country about when interns should be regarded as employees. The system can be open to exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

Internships for professional careers are similar in some ways, but not as rigorous as apprenticeships for professions, trade, and vocational jobs. The lack of standardization and oversight leaves the term “internship” open to broad interpretation. Interns may be high school students, college and university students, or post-graduate adults. These positions may be paid or unpaid and are temporary.

Typically, an internship consists of an exchange of services for experience between the intern and the organization. Internships are used to determine if the intern still has an interest in that field after the real-life experience.

In addition, an internship can be used to create a professional network that can assist with letters of recommendation or lead to future employment opportunities. The benefit of bringing an intern into full-time employment is that they are already familiar with the company, their position, and they typically need little to no training.

Internships provide current college students the ability to participate in a field of their choice to receive hands on learning about a particular future career, preparing them for full-time work following graduation.

A student or trainee who works at a trade or occupation in order to gain work experience, sometimes without pay, is an intern.

In the gig society, are part-time workers classified as contractors or interns? What about seasonal workers? Entertainers and artist are often offered employment for exposure.

All employers can now hire new employees on a trial period of 90 days or less without the risk of the employee taking a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal (they may still take a personal grievance on other grounds) in the event that the employee is dismissed during the trial period.

During a long career, there were only two interns. Both were relatives of management looking for a summer babysitter. Neither were assigned to any work or attempted to learn any skills. Whether they were paid or not?

Otherwise learn how to take coffee and doughnut orders.