Apprenticeship has been crucial in providing a thrust to the careers of millions of youth. Learning by doing provides students with the opportunity to develop employable skills along with their higher education. In many countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and China, degree apprenticeships have become the new accepted norm, as they enable students to boost their skills while learning, and also give them the right industry exposure. In India, though the scope and demand for apprenticeships has consistently increased over the last decade, there is still a long way to go.
More students now look at work-integrated learning programmes (in the form of internship-linked degree programmes or degree-linked apprenticeship programmes), and this was expected to increase substantially this year. While COVID-19 may have changed the way apprenticeships will be modelled and conducted, the demand will continue to be positive. Despite the lockdown-led slowdown, many sectors such as essential services, e-commerce, retail, BFSI, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and IT/ITeS, continue to see a surge in demand for apprentices. Some of the emerging trends that students need to consider in this sphere are:
Adoption, adaptation and agility: The ecosystem is changing rapidly, and new mechanisms/tools are evolving everyday. Students must thus adapt to the changing environment and adopt new-age skills that will be required for the future.
Seamless transition to digital learning: Due to social distancing and restricted physical movement, apprenticeship has also moved to digital platforms. Although this started in a fragmented manner, technology has now taken precedence over physical classroom training and is complementing on-the-job-learning. Hence, students need to be technically sound and flexible to adopt new learning methods in order to stay ahead.
Learn new-age skills: Technology now touches everything in our society, from the way we live, educate, work, buy, invest, and more. New-age skills will be influenced by digitisation and automation, and students need to focus on acquiring skills like robotics, IOT, IT architecture and AI. Learn the usage and how to create applications and manage the processes. In addition, getting a perspective on data analytics and data science, especially for those who are looking for a career in B2C space, is also advisable. This will be crucial across both technical and non-technical job roles.
Relevant behavioural skills: The ability to think creatively, decision-making capability and good communication skills are some of the desired soft skills in the current situation.
Clear-cut resume : Focus on clearly listing achievements through one’s academic career and include extracurricular activities that will highlight one’s personality, soft skills and additional capabilities. List career aspirations as it will give employers a view into one’s thought process and potential. Having an additional bit on what one expecst from the apprenticeship or the kind of skills one is interested in learning will help to create a good perception. A student must exhibit keenness to learn and grow, and also reflect a positive attitude and aptitude.
Continuously find opportunities: Students should monitor websites that act as a matching platform between employers and aspiring candidates. They can also directly apply to organisations that take on apprentices
The writer is Vice President, NETAP, TeamLease.
