Apprenticeship can be best described as an “earn and learn†model of employment as you are gainfully employed while undertaking study in your chosen career. An apprenticeship can be viewed as a form of degree course but the difference is that the courses are not regular degree programs offered by almost all universities, but they are special trade courses. People who build their careers through apprenticeships are called apprentices while they study to become fully qualified tradespeople. In these particular programs these people study as well as work as the same time.
The apprentices receive most of this training under qualified tradespeople who have expertise in the same trade as they have already completed their apprenticeship and have been engaged in the trade for a number of years. Normally when we work, we are paid but an apprentice not only gets paid but he or she also gets paid to study.
Although it does not involve the typical in-class and course material, completing an apprenticeshipcan involve a lot of hard work and effort. In normal degree programs you may have to study and grasp all the knowledge but for an apprenticeship you have to study and implement that same knowledge immediately. Some of the most common trade courses chosen are:
- Carpentry: when they learn the wood work e.g. making of many furniture items.
- Plumbing: this involves all the pipes related work.
- Chef: this revolves around making interesting food items of various cuisines.
- Electrical: work related to all electrical appliances.
In today’s world if you want to pursue your career in any of the trades then all you have to start with is make up your mind which trade fascinates you the most and then search a lot about it. While searching about it you would come across many colleges which offer these courses. These institutions hire some of the best teachers to teach each trade and they also help the students get their training under qualified tradespeople. They can also help ensure that apprentices whom they have get tutored by the best people.
The apprentices who have opted for a trade career are paid by their employer. The wages vary based on whether the apprentice has just started or has completed a number of years of the apprenticeship. There are also special incentives which are known as Rural or Regional incentives (depends on the area you are working), School Based incentives (are you involved in some school or educational work), Declared Drought area incentive (are you working in an area which has been declared to be affected by Droughts), Adult Apprentice (for senior people). The incentive also depends on another factor which is the level of certification i.e. there are many levels of certification in each course and you are paid more if you are more qualified, The more you get closer to completing of the course the more skilled you tend to be. The main reason for this rule is that as you get more and more experience in any particular field you tend to gain more expertise in it and you are qualified to work anywhere.
