Apprenticeships are making a comeback. In this employment market where it is more and more difficult to find candidates with the skill sets you need to fill positions, I see organizations slowly adapting to the old way; teach someone with the right attitude the skills you need them to have in your particular environment.
In generations past it was normal for someone to learn a trade from an experienced person. If your dad was a blacksmith you learned the trade from him. If you grew up on a farm you most likely became a farmer. It was basically the only way to learn the skills needed.
Somewhere along the line organizations began relying more and more on our educational system to teach the basic skills needed to fill our positions. High Schools had typing classes, shop classes and various other hands-on skill building classes. Secondary education built on those basic skills expanding students’ knowledge of computers, running manufacturing equipment or other needed skills.
However as technology grew and organizations began using very specific equipment like certain computer programs or equipment built specifically to do what the individual company needed done, etc., it became more and more difficult for the education system to produce graduates with the specific needed skills.
Organizations were limping along filling positions until the 2009 recession and the need for new help slowed. Most organizations went into survival mode. They were not focused on planning for the future. Many top-skill, higher paid employees were “down-sized” to save money. At the same time the education world eliminated many “non-essential” classes, like shop classes, to save money.
Then came the recovery, slow at first, but it has continually put pressure on the employment market. Organizations were still seeking candidates with very specific skills; like someone that has used a specific CAD program or has run a certain brand name CNC. The talent void was born.
We have now reached a turning point. Because candidates are so hard to find, companies are going back to the old tried and true method of teaching new or junior employees what they need to know with seasoned employees as their mentors; apprenticeships. It was a great idea a hundred years ago and it is making a big come back today. I for one am a big fan of “building your own” experts. They don’t have to “unlearn” bad habits. They will do it the way you teach them. They won’t be telling you, “but at my last job we did it like this”.
Apprenticeships will only work if you first create a plan to get an employee from novice to expert. In most cases we are talking about years of investment. You should create multiple levels or mile-makers with estimated times to reach each level to ensure correct progress is being made. If planned correctly the mentor can slowly release assignments to the apprentice. As they release the less complicated parts of their position the cost to do that work goes down. The mentor can work on greater value-added duties bringing a higher return on your investment at their pay level.
Done well this does not have to be a cost burden. Organizations can reap the rewards of the investment quickly and still accomplish the need for training future experts. Creating and following a plan is the key. Using classroom or on-line educational programs in conjunction with hands-on mentoring will allow controlled growth for the trainees. I see this current dilemma as an opportunity to learn from a successful teaching method from decades ago; apprenticeships.
Christian Life Coach 