‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ is a traditional saying that pretty much explains that if something is working adequately well, then we should leave it alone. As humans we have a constant urge to improve our inventions, which on the plus side have allowed us to marvellously create items like the ipad, however in a similar way, led us to reinvent important structures like education. Modern practices such as online learning may work for some, however it is important to ask when did we stray from the more traditional teaching systems and why? Trade Skills 4U looks into the apprenticeship and its benefits for young Britain.
Apprenticeships are one of Britain’s oldest educational traditions and they date back to the middle ages where the systems of apprenticeships developed into guilds. A Guild is an association of craftsmen linked to a particular trade. The Master craftsman was entitled to employ young people as a way of affording inexpensive labour in exchange for their keep. This ‘working on the job’ style of learning has proved so beneficial it’s remained the same for hundreds of years. Today with Government support we have been able to modernise it slightly so that employers and students can access funding as an incentive to take this valuable training.
It’s important that young people know the benefits of apprenticeship training as well as being informed of the other educations options that are available to them. University comes with a 9k per year price tag and a lot of students have to start contemplating alternative educations routes to pursue higher education because they just can’t face the debt. Students should be encouraged to think about taking other forms of education like apprenticeships which can not only be an excellent route into an industry but introduces you to a job and a small wage at the same time.
Apprenticeships, whilst adopting a traditional form of learning, are available in almost every industry you can think of, from art to engineering, from art to hairdressing you’ll be surprised what is on offer when you start your search. The week beginning 6th February marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week 2012 and aims to actively promote the benefits of such training. During 6th-10th February, companies such as ourselves will be holding dedicated young person’s taster days or weeks to help young people discover the opportunities available to them through this time of training. Apprenticeships are viable options for the student and the employee as many incentives can be arrange to make it an attract option for both parties.
Whilst university degrees will always be a very valuable qualification, the recent and on-going university fee increases combined with the very possibility of unemployment loitering at the end are steering young people away from this education route. When searching for alternatives it seems ‘apprenticeships’ is right up there. Such terms have seen over a 100% increase in online searches since the initial announcement concerning university tuition fees from Education Minister David Willets back in November 2010.
Electrical Training Company is doing their bit:
Trade Skills 4U based in Crawley, West Sussex, are holding 3 FREE electrical apprenticeship taster days aimed to 16 – 19 year olds that are looking to discover what the world of electrics has in store for them. Whether you are dead set on becoming an electrician or you just want to see if it’s for you, this free day of training aims to fill you up with some knowledge & get you involved with some practical workshops to give you an understanding of how it all’s works for you, the apprentice.
If you would like to go on a Trade Skills 4U electrical apprenticeship taster day, visit their events page to register your details. Should you want to know about the events in your area, visit apprenticeship.org for more information on other industry’s too.
