Apprenticeships have been around since the late Middle Ages and are still a viable form of education today. In essence, an apprenticeship is a method of hiring someone to learn the skills and practices associated with a specific career path. The apprentice is taken under the wing of a recognized and expert practitioner of the craft, and is schooled in all aspects of the profession over a period of years until he or she is able to go out on his or her own and function effectively.
Apprenticeships began as a way for craftsmen to train young protégés in a specific craft in the hopes of eventually handing over their business to the apprentice. In other cases, municipal governments would send young men to another location to be schooled in a specific craft, with the understanding that the individual would return to the town or village after completing the apprenticeship and open a shop there. In both cases, the apprentices would work alongside the master craftsman for a period of time until it was determined that the individual had earned the right to be called a craftsman and was ready to strike out on their own.
While the majority of apprenticeships in the Middle Ages were for young men, there were some apprenticeship opportunities for young women as well. The majority of these included training in what were considered feminine arts like embroidery, weaving, and sewing, as well as learning how to be a governess in some cases. Young women who entered an apprenticeship had to show some natural talent and commit to a period of five to seven years away from their families, just like the young men.
With the passage of time, the apprenticeship process underwent significant changes. As government regulations began to define the boundaries of apprenticeship, the practice of apprenticing young people in some crafts was phased out. In some cases, the apprenticeship process evolved into something akin to today’s on-the-job training programs. Nonetheless, the apprenticeship model is alive and well. It is still possible to attach an individual to someone who is recognized as an authority, and spend a number of years studying under the tutelage of that expert authority, especially in the creative arts.