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.