Is Britain experiencing an apprenticeship renaissance?

For anyone considering a career in engineering, an apprenticeship offers the opportunity to learn from trained professionals, while applying theoretical knowledge on a day-by-day basis. This valuable combination of skills development is why apprenticeships have long been seen as the gold standard of ‘on-the-job’ training and now, as a way of rejuvenating the UK economy.

It seems apprenticeships are ‘back in fashion’. So, are we really going through an ‘Apprentice Renaissance’, as some say? Yes, to an extent. However, engineering and craft industries have a long way to go before achieving the number of apprentices needed to deliver the high-tech economy that government aspires to; particularly as competition from emerging power-houses such as China and India grows and threatens our vulnerable post-recession industry.

The glory days

Historically, many see the glory days of apprenticeships as the 1950s. In reality however, we don’t need to go so far back. Many industry professionals regard the 1980s as the last heyday for apprenticeships. It was a time when businesses, such as Rolls Royce and BAE Systems, were encouraged to train and this had a positive affect on industry.