- Adam Farrugia
11 Reasons Why You Should Apply for an Apprenticeship in 2020
Updated: Jan 25

Most people in the millennial and younger age groups are, from childhood, instilled with the idea that the best path for leading a successful, productive life is through attending college, acquiring contacts, getting internships and then growing from there, making apprenticeships in this day and age an often-overlooked route. However, it’s important to remember that the economies of the past were almost entirely sustained by apprenticeships, and great brotherhoods of working men and women such as medieval guilds were formed under the pretext of learning your profession through hands-on experience. As more and more people are attending university in this day and age, a good way to set yourself apart from the crowd, and perhaps even set yourself up for a lucrative career, is to consider enrolling in an apprenticeship.
Here are 11 good reasons to become an apprentice in 2020:
#1: Real-World Experience
Unlike schooling, apprenticeships give students the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to a given occupation, making them much more prepared and confident to follow through with it in the years to come.
#2: Get Paid to Learn, rather than Pay to Learn
Most apprenticeships offer compensation for whatever work the student completes whilst learning the job, unlike colleges where you are actually paying to complete work! For workers, this prospect can be particularly enticing to avoid the potentially crippling debt of a university-level education.
#3: Find Something that Interests You
While the more interesting apprenticeships of years gone by, such as armor smithing, stone working or bowyer work, are no longer particularly active or conductive in today’s economy, there are still a variety of different occupations and lifelong careers that you can set off towards when you undertake the path of an apprentice.

#4: Boost Your Confidence
One of the drawbacks of education is that there is often no hands-on, active participation in what potentially interests you. You may have spent the past four years studying how to use geometry and complex mathematics to structure a building, but unless you’ve actively took part in such an endeavour, your first day on the job will be much more daunting than it would be had you taken a similar route in an apprenticeship program.
#5: Create an Impressive Portfolio
Having real-world experience in any form of skilled labour will always be a worthy thing to emphasise in a CV.
#6: Build Connections
While college often offers an ideal opportunity to build connects with future prospects, active work within an apprenticeship will afford you similar situations in a more productive environment.
#7: Find Employment More Easily
We all know that landing your first job can be a nightmare; the rate of competition, especially in today’s world, is simply massive. With an apprenticeship, however, employers are more lenient with their qualifications, understanding your lack of skills as a temporary state that will be remedied with time spent on the job.
#8: Get Holidays
All apprentices are entitled to a certain number of paid holidays, meaning you can enjoy your breaks in work without fear of losing out on income!
#9: Recognised Qualifications
Most apprentice schools award their students nationally recognised grades that improve their prospects for employment.
#10: Receive Personalised Support
Just as universities have academic advisers for students, apprenticeship programs have individual experts ready to assist you with your workload while you are enrolled.
#11: Engage in Rewarding, Thrilling Work
If you choose an apprenticeship that interests you, you are guaranteed to find joy in your day-to-day learning life. You won’t have to sit through any boring electives or suffer through any remedial courses like you would in college!