Apprenticeships are an educational model with a long history. They were initially conceived as a way to educate the whole person – to teach someone how to be a contributing member of the community as well as a skilled artisan. And it was critical that the apprentice be a good citizen first, before they were granted access to the technical skills of the trade. In recent years, we have forgotten to start with character when preparing people for apprenticeships and have focused instead on the specific techniques of a trade. The problem with this is that companies still require character and professionalism before they will sign an apprentice.

The European Origins of Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships emerged across Europe and other parts of the world around 500 years ago, in many different occupations or trades. And while there was a great deal of diversity in how apprenticeships were carried out, there were also some important similarities. Placing apprentices was an informal process where a teenager was sent to live with a master and her/his family to learn the trade. The craft knowledge was closely guarded by the master, and would only be given to the apprentice once they had proved themselves worthy. This control of knowledge was reinforced by the Guilds, or the groups of masters who regulated the trade. Interestingly, a ratio of apprentices to masters was common in virtually all trades during this time.

What was also common was the nature of the complaints, from apprentices and masters. Some common complaints from apprentices were that they were not progressing quickly enough in learning their trade, and that they had to do “irrelevant and menial” work. On the other hand, masters often griped that their apprentices were not committed enough to the trade, that they think they know more than they do, and that they lack the work ethic of the master’s generation. Ironically, 500 years later the complaints on both sides are the same.

Character, then Craft

Despite the complaints, the apprenticeship system that emerged out of Europe was an integrated model of education, with a specific purpose. In fact, it is this purpose that made the complaints more likely, and not just that older generations always complain about younger generations. Specifically, the purpose of an apprenticeship was to, “instill positive and productive cultural values”, and to look after the “moral welfare” of that person. The apprentice was first taught to be a good citizen and to have strong moral character before they were entrusted with the technical skills of the trade.

This order of teaching was a matter of individual self-preservation for the master, and the long-term sustainability of the trade. The blacksmith, the baker and other skilled tradespersons were pillars of the community, and none of them would pass on their skills to a lazy or unscrupulous apprentice. No master tradesperson could afford to be seen as the person who certified someone who ripped off the community. And if bakers or blacksmiths as a whole were regarded as scoundrels, the whole trade could be put in jeopardy. Preventing this was one of the main reasons that guilds were formed in the first place.

Character Gets Pushed Aside

As the number of trades and their technical sophistication increased after the Industrial Revolution, more and more technical knowledge was required in order for apprentices to become competent journeypersons. Technical knowledge was easier to incorporate into college curriculums than the character of the student, and the art of the trade. Over many years, this is what happened across North America as colleges taught technical skills and abstract concepts in their classrooms and workshops. In the process, technical knowledge came to be regarded as the only “essential” knowledge required in a trade.

The development of character and craft were sidelined in part because colleges could not teach the “feel” of the trade on an actual jobsite. They also lost interest in teaching “the basics” like character, preferring instead to leave that up to the family or school system. One consequence of this is that people who want to get into a trade think they only need some technical skills and they’re ready to go. But an apprenticeship is a much more holistic model of education than the teaching of a few technical skills. And craft and character are, and always have been, the most important component of a trade, even if they’re not taught in many campus classrooms and workshops.

Lessons from History

At Trade Smart College, we are committed to re-introducing character and craft into the trades we support. We start by teaching character skills, so our students are set up for success during their internship with a company. And during this internship, they will begin to learn some of their tradecraft in real-world situations.

We do it this way because it respects the traditional order of apprenticeship learning. And just as importantly, we do it this way because our companies have told us that they are always interested in employees who have shown they can be professional. And they simply aren’t interested in students who don’t have good character as a pre-requisite.

Conclusion

Historically, the apprenticeship pathway was clear – a master took on an apprentice and taught them how to be a good citizen before passing on the technical arts of the trade. We have lost our way a bit on this, and have come to see technical skill as the only qualification for becoming an apprentice. We need to correct this so that people who want to go into the trades actually have the skills and mindset that companies use to select candidates for apprenticeship.