What is An Apprenticeship

What is an Apprenticeship Carla George 1

Researcher Education Studies March 2018

Abstract. The paper explains about a what the meaning of an apprenticeship is and how it is perceived in the publics’ eyes.

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Introduction

There are so many definitions for apprenticeships they are normally described as “earn whilst you are learning”. The apprentice will undertake a program of study via the employer between 12-18 months where they will gain experience at their place of work and as well as attending the training provider to complete the off the job training that will contribute to their apprenticeship.

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Gaining Employment

Apprenticeships are a way forward towards learning new skills as well as gaining employment within your chosen sector. My career in delivering apprenticeships has developed my interests towards how learners become experts in their chosen field.

There are a variety of definitions for employability paid or unpaid work or set attributes towards gaining a place of employment. This area has been explored by A G Watts he has quoted a variety of text from S Knight and York relating to careful career planning and acquisition preparation for the world of work they also referenced interview skills as essential part of gaining employment.

Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. Their beliefs that learners can learn independently within a variety of culture and socio backgrounds rather directly from lectured based learning. Wenger goes on further to explain about socio learning she uses examples such as a walk in the park, deep meaningful conversations as a means of opening minds conceptualising the world. Knowledge is developed through ongoing new innovative ways that we may not come across before and expanding new developments.

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Wenger access the levels of boundaries using the following below: Coordination- Can the current processes adaptable where they can interpret across all practices? Adopting new practice needs to be flexible across the board and needs to show depth without inconsistencies and confusion for others Transparency- Do they have meanings are they structured and easily understood by others to follow are they relevant to the organisation and serve a purpose.

Negotiability- Are they one way or provide a variety of methods towards establishing connections? Boundary processes should allow for flexibility and reinforcement.

Wenger also mentions about establishing identities and know what your place in the organisation this involves elements of trust knowledge and morality. In organisations, you will never find the perfect setting to work in Wenger’s view that all organisations should adopt a structured social system to allow for others to fit in where they feel comfortable in sharing ideas and experience whether its past or present, and adapting the whole process to our personal perspective.

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Communities of Practice

Lave and Wenger explained on communities of practice they defined this underneath the following concepts “joint enterprise”, “mutual engagement” and “shared experiences” The community of practice has been emphasised throughout their research as they believe that people are involved in a communal group where they have the opportunity towards sharing their practices and beliefs that will lead towards strong working relationships and trust. They believe this method will encourage learning in participation not just by attending social events but through continuous communication and interactions throughout working practice and daily life. Their research involves observing apprentices in the US Navy in a variety of occupations such as nursing, cooks, and counsellors. These groups were chosen as part of their job involved through social participation rather than a routine practice.

Wenger argues that organisations should allow for opened learning transitioning themselves into socio organisations which combines a level of personal experience and processes. There should be a sense of belonging where individuals should fit in.

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Wenger explains this further by defining a variety of participations: Engagement- Speaking with others and learning from other actions and experiences.

Imagination- This involves using ones initiative Wenger uses an example referring to the shape of the earth and how we can conceptualise this by forming mind maps, flow charts, or building scenarios based on own interpretation.

Alignment- A combination of experiences and organisation’s processes that’s outside of the norm such as reading a book, or scientific research this type of process applied here should allow for further opportunities creating new goals and perspectives.

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Summary

I decided to use elements of situation learning as Learning occurs throughout assessment and observations via your supervisor and assessor over a period. The apprentice is essentially learning by practice with minimal supervision where they are given opportunity to learning through their own experiences and working environment. The apprentices that I work with they undergo informal training their supervisors has expectations that they can self-direct their own learning without intervention.

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References

Brown, J.S., Collins, A., & Duguid P. (1989). Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning. Educational Researcher, V.18, (1), 32-34.

England’s Apprenticeships- Assessing the New System Charlynne Pullen and Jonathan Clifton (2016)

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