African
Discover What an Apprenticeship is: The Best Form of Education in Africa
What is an Apprenticeship? Are you one of those who do not know what an apprenticeship is, and would like to know what it is? Come with me in this discussion about our subject. An apprenticeship is a form of education where a learner learns by doing. While in the formal education system, one stays in the classroom and learn, in an apprenticeship one learns by doing.
In this article, I discuss several issues, all aimed at showing that this form of learning is much better and more pragmatic than the traditional approach. Apprenticeship is a form of education that has been used in Africa for centuries before the coming of foreign invaders.
Traditional African Societies and the Form of Education
We learn at school that the traditional African societies practised and taught their offspring, and thus enabled them answer the question of what an apprenticeship is. We learn at school that traditional African societies practised pragmatic apprenticeship without books or any written curriculum.
Traditional hunting and what an apprenticeship is are answered.
We have learnt that traditional African societies had different economic activities depending on where they found themselves. There were hunters and gatherers. The hunters lived mainly by hunting; during a period when their tools had advanced, they used bows and arrows. The father or elder brother led the team, and the younger men followed him. They learnt through observation of all that transpired. Over time, they were allowed to practice as well. It was with time and practice that they acquired the skills and became experts. It was necessary to succeed, as that was the means through which one was fed.
Gathering of Fruits and Roots
Moreover, we learnt that some families were gatherers; that is, they lived by gathering fruits, roots, insects, and whatever else was edible and close at hand. The elders led the team of young and old; the old did the actual work, and the youth had the task of learning through observation at first, then doing it themselves. Observation meant to acquire the knowledge of which fruits and roots were edible, and doing it meant to acquire both the actual skills of gathering and the knowledge of edible and non-edible.
Various social activities
By doing so, they educated or passed on their knowledge and skills to the younger generation. Those engaging in plaiting hair passed the education and skills without writing, but simply by doing. A young person who wished to learn the skill and trade had no other option but to learn by doing. When the societies mastered the weaving of baskets, mats and other similar items, the approach was similar.
The Whereabouts of Traditional African knowledge and skills
The knowledge and skills acquired in the past were lost during colonialism. We learn in primary school that when colonialists came to Africa, they told our forefathers that their skills and knowledge were backward and primitive. They were forced to abandon them, and that is how the old skills got lost. This is learned knowledge; I guess you got it at school, too. To substantiate it, we shall need to research the same.
The Spirit of Apprenticeship does not die.
The spirit of apprenticeship, which answers the question “What is an Apprenticeship?”, does not die; it may just slumber. Today, many young people are engaged in local apprenticeship activities across African countries. There are several activities that young people learn at a young age and grow up with, which turn into lifelong careers.
Local motor garages
In many African cities where I have been, I have seen many motor garages. There are mostly garages for vehicles and motorcycles. The garages are owned by local entrepreneurs who learned to repair motor vehicles through elderly mentors. It is normal to find a young person who has just finished primary school, or even simply a dropout, joining a garage for an apprenticeship. These young people, mostly young men, even though some girls are also popping up nowadays, join the garage to acquire skills.
The young people learn the skills for years; it calls for patience. Many of them typically take several years to acquire the skills they need. When they have learnt for years and acquired important skills, they can only then begin to earn some income, not before. In most garages, there are no tuition fees for learning, and no payment for serving as an assistant to both a mentor and a tutor. With time, those who invest their time and passion graduate as great mechanics.
The question is how many graduates there are and what qualifications they obtain. The question remains a subject that demands thorough study. In recent years, the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation has recognised the skills that such local fundis have acquired through this apprenticeship approach.
Retail and wholesale businesses
What happens in the garage happens too in the business and trade industry. Young people start a small business by selling local staff needed and consumed quickly in large gatherings. Young people sell handkerchiefs, roast groundnuts, boiled eggs, peeled oranges and similar items. They do it for some time, and depending on their skills and sharpness, some graduate to higher businesses and open a small shop selling fast home consumables.
Some young people with a clear vision have graduated from doing a small business to becoming a big business person. Some own businesses in different regions of their countries, and others travel abroad to buy cheaper goods to sell at a higher profit back home. They are a success thanks to the apprenticeship they have gained through learning by doing.
Carpentry
The question what is an apprenticeship is answered through carpentry experience in East Africa. Carpentry is another trade that attracts young people to learn. The approach and operations are similar to those in the motor garage. A young person joins a workshop where they start from the beginning to become experts. They learn how to manufacture furniture such as beds, sofas, chairs, and other household items.
When they acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to run their workshop, they go on to establish their own workshop, where they will, in turn, become mentors and train others who wish to learn the trade. When new apprentices join the workshop, they learn for free but also work for the workshop owner. They get paid only after they have acquired the necessary skills and begin manufacturing items.
Apprenticeship: The Pragmatic Way to Go
Apprenticeship is the real deal, the best mode of education. Learners learn by doing; they learn the theory and put it into action. Apprenticeship did not begin recently; it is an old practice and a reliable form of learning, even in Europe, because schools were so expensive for the common people. The formal school approach was reserved for wealthy families, argues Mandalu (2020) in How to Think as a University Student.
Michael Faraday, an English chemist and physicist who contributed greatly to the fields of electrochemistry and electromagnetism, started as an apprentice. He worked at a mentorship of Sir Humphry Davy at the Royal Institute of Great Britain. He, too, coming from a common family, could not afford tuition fees for his studies, and an apprenticeship was the answer to quench his thirst. This example of Michael Faraday should help us answer the question What is an Apprenticeship?
Conclusion on What is An Apprenticeship
To conclude our subject, what is an Apprenticeship, we should say that it is the best way for a country to obtain a competent, skilled labour force. This approach can ensure African economies have individuals with the real skills needed in trade and contribute to modernising their economies. Africa needs competent individuals with skills, not simply academic certificates.
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