Choosing the Right Job Training: Internships, Traditional Apprenticeships and Modern Digital Alternatives

Most people have spent their whole lives hearing that a good education is the key to landing a great job and having a successful career. What isn’t discussed nearly enough is that for many professions, actual work experience is needed just to get your toe in the door.

Even for those not shocked to be caught in the book learning to on-the-job learning gap, the opportunities for bridging it can get a little confusing. This article breaks down the differences between internships, traditional apprenticeships and modern digital alternatives.

Internships

Landing a competitive internship after college or in the final semesters is thought to be the golden career ticket but it’s not always so glamorous.

Internships vary greatly but they are typically temporary work experiences of short duration. Semester programs last a few months, summer internships only a matter of weeks. The vast majority are unpaid, volunteer positions. Paid internships are the most highly competitive and few, with some notable exceptions, pay very well.

In the US, the treatment of unpaid interns falls under the Fair Standards Labor Act. According to the DOL Fact Sheet, an internship must meet the following criteria in order to comply:

1. The intern must know they are not entitled to compensation and agree to those terms.
2. The intern’s training must be similar to that which would be provided in an educational environment.
3. The internship must be for the intern’s benefit, not the company’s.
4. The intern should be offered academic credit for their service.
5. The intern must not displace regular employees.
6. The employer must derive no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
7. The intern must understand they are not entitled to a job at the end of the internship.

If these criteria are not met, the student is considered an employee of the company and would be legally entitled to compensation. Interns are required to put in at least 20 hours of work per week and, to avoid displacing regular employees, are often assigned menial tasks such as getting coffee, taking notes and running errands. After they have put in a substantial amount of labor, they are not guaranteed a permanent position.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships have traditionally been the domain of practical tradespeople. We associate apprentices with woodworkers, electricians, plumbers, construction workers and occasionally magicians. In recent years, however, as a response to the soaring costs and crippling debt associated with university education, apprenticeships have been expanding in popularity and application.

An apprenticeship is a formal employment program that blends classroom-based learning and on-the-job work experience to train you for one particular profession. It is an alternative to the more general learning acquired at university and usually includes a formal qualification and a job upon completion. Unlike an internship, an apprenticeship can last up to 6 years but it also comes with a salary.

Apprenticeship programs have been a staple of workforce training in Continental Europe, the UK, Canada, Australia and other countries around the world for many years. In the US, expanding apprenticeships to fill skill shortages and offer an alternative to high college tuition has been a priority for both the Obama and the Trump Administrations.

Modern Digital Approaches

Because not everyone can afford to take on a long term unpaid internship and not everyone wants to spend years on their training, new companies have harnessed the power of the internet to provide a range of faster, cheaper and more flexible options.

There has been a particular focus on skilling jobseekers for in-demand knowledge worker positions suited for an information driven economy: virtual assistants, graphic designers, blog writers, digital marketers and more.

Many social media giants have developed their own free online learning and certification programs, such as Google AdWords, Facebook Blueprint, Twitter Flight School, Pinterest Propel and Hootsuite Academy. But, while those are easily accessible and may look okay on a resume, they lack the real world experience and mentoring component.

Springboard attempts to bridge that gap by offering online learning with the addition of mentors, career coaching and access to a network of employers. Their digital marketing program takes up to 6 months, requires 8–10 hours per week and costs $3, 300.

Baltic Training is a digital apprenticeship marketplace in the United Kingdom that provides online training and matches students interested in technology with paid, full-time apprenticeships in their local area that last anywhere between 15 weeks and 18 months.

GenM is also an apprenticeship marketplace that gives job seekers a head start by providing free online courses designed by industry experts and matching them with vetted business owners for 3 month unpaid apprenticeships. These remote positions that only require a 5–10 hours per week commitment. Students can gain experience from industry professionals with greater flexibility than traditional internships and apprenticeships.

By completing multiple GenM apprenticeships, students have access to a broader range of experiences, real world problem solving opportunities and business connections to add to their resume than if they completed just one longer program. While employment is not guaranteed at the end of the 3 months, if the apprentice builds a great relationship with their mentor and adds value to the business, it is certainly possible. GenM also creates a space for certified apprentices to build a freelance business and work for themselves! All that is required to get started is to create a free profile.

With college tuition costs at epic levels and more and more middle-skill careers requiring post-secondary education it is possible that innovative digital apprenticeships that give millennials a fast, free, and flexible pathway to a successful career might be the future work experience programs.