When a person starts his or her career, they seek to gain some
work experience in the practical field. This work experience of theirs will
help them in honing on the skills that will help them in their future
professional life.
This work experience is the only time that they can learn the A-Z of their profession. Once this chance is missed, there will hardly be chances of such hand-holding teaching opportunities ahead. The students are the ones who usually take up this opportunity. People who are recently starting their careers also take up such work experience opportunities.
Both apprenticeship and internship are the terms associated with gaining such work experience. They have come to be used as synonyms; yet, there are some differences that set an apprenticeship apart from the internship.
Apprenticeship vs Internship
The main difference between Apprenticeship and Internship is that the definition and the scope of learning are different in both of them. The apprenticeship is considered as a paid job under a professional to learn a skill related to the business and trading world. Whereas an internship is unpaid work wherein, the student works to build his or her resume.
In both the apprenticeship as well as internship, the people are asked to work, but the quality of work differs.
An internship is mostly accepted by students, and hence they have minor duties that don’t affect the company majorly, and they are more prone towards observing their seniors.
In an apprenticeship, the duties and roles are comparatively higher and more independent. Overall, an apprenticeship doesn’t have much say in major decisions pertaining to the company, but they are more independent than interns.
The apprenticeship is offered to people who have completed their education, but an internship is taken up by students. And of course, the apprentice gets paid whereas an intern doesn’t get paid.
Comparison Table Between Apprenticeship and Internship (in Tabular Form)
| Parameters of comparison | Apprenticeship | Internship |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apprenticeship is the learning of skills related to the trading and business world. | An internship is taken upon for resume building. |
| Taken by | Graduates or postgraduates. | Students. |
| Degree | Necessary, only offered after retrieval of degree. | Not necessary, can be opted for while studying. |
| Stipend | Yes, the average set stipend fixed per hour. | No, it will provide for lunch and traveling. |
| Duration | 1 to 2 years. | A couple of weeks to a year. |
| Qualifications | Certificate of completion as well as other documents. | Only work experience and letter of recommendation. |
What is Apprenticeship?
Apprenticeship is a paid work where the person is taught about the skills related to trade and business. The person working as an apprenticeship is independent in the form of work but doesn’t get any major work that affects the company’s name.
The apprentice can learn the skills necessary for work in anytime between a couple of weeks to a year. Moreover, the apprenticeship is usually undertaken after the person has acquired his degree.
Some university also keeps in their curriculum the apprenticeship as the syllabus for the final semester.
The apprentice after the completion of work gets a letter of completion and other documents. At times, the apprentice also gets a job offer at the same place under the same mentor.
The stipend for an apprenticeship is set for everyone and is paid in terms of per hour worked at the office. Moreover, the work done in an apprenticeship is related to the field of your course.
The apprenticeship, though, offers a learning curve that still expects you to know the nitty-gritty as well as the basic knowledge of your work of line. The apprenticeship is a full-time endeavor.
What is Internship?
An internship is a work that is taken upon majorly by the
students. The internship is the first step towards building a career. An
internship is done with the intention of building a resume.
The internship offers the interns the hand-holding they need while learning something new. An intern isn’t expected to know even the basics of the field. They aren’t handled any major duties and responsibilities. Sometimes, the work given to interns isn’t related to their field.
The interns don’t get paid for the internship, but they are provided with lunch and travel expenses on their part. An internship can be taken up as a part of a full-time endeavor. After the completion, the intern receives a certificate and a LOR, but no other documents or job offer is provided for them.
The intern can be appointed under a superior to observe and
learn or to a department to help the members with basic learning and understand
the workings and mechanisms of an office and or department.
Main Differences Between Apprenticeship and Internship
- Apprenticeship is a job where the apprentice learns about the skills and jobs related to a trading and business world, but an internship consists of interns where they work to build their resume.
- Apprenticeship is a full-time endeavor, whereas an internship can be done part-time or full time.
- The apprenticeship provides a completion certificate and other documents at the end of the apprenticeship period. On the other hand, the interns are provided with a certificate and LOR and no other documents.
- The apprenticeship is paid, but interns don’t get paid. Interns, however, do get money for lunch and travel.
- The apprenticeship is given to postgraduates as a part of their curriculum or after they have finished studying, but an intern can work even while studying.
- The apprenticeship is sometimes followed by a job, but an internship isn’t followed by a job offer.
Conclusion
Both the apprenticeship and internship provide for a learning curve for a student or someone who wants to master the skills of a new business they want to start.
Every internship and apprenticeship work experience is important to make it into a career. The internship eventually leads to an apprenticeship and professionally, there is no learning curve offered, which is as good as an internship.
References
- https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/625
- https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/223161