The purpose of this paper is to outline the different types and features of apprenticeships available in the 1950s.
The term “apprenticeship” has lost the weight it had when it was originally conceived in the sixteenth century, and has now (at the time of writing) become a blanket term. It covers: temporary and transient positions – messengers, lorry‐drivers' mates, etc.; juvenile workers – assembly line work (little or no training) and “genuine apprentices” – including craft/trade apprenticeships, student or technical apprenticeships, and graduate apprenticeships. People are assigned to a grade of apprenticeship based on how a person achieves in the national educational system.
Apprenticeships vary in terms of: length of training, content, future career progression possibilities and education provided. It is suggested that the industry joined and training provided, alongside the opportunities available may be more valuable to a school leaver than an “apprenticeship”.
This paper provides a useful look on the role of an apprentice in the 1950s.
