{"id":13512,"date":"2021-08-23T09:01:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T17:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/?p=13512"},"modified":"2021-09-30T23:44:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T07:44:36","slug":"why-fewer-apprenticeships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/23\/why-fewer-apprenticeships\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Aren’t There More Apprenticeships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve argued before that we mostly learn by doing<\/a>. Yet, if this is true, it creates a puzzle: why has school largely replaced apprenticeships as a mode for learning?<\/p>\n

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The common answer is that apprenticeship works great for smithing and weaving, but modern work is mental. We need years of dedicated training inside the classroom before we can perform as knowledge workers.<\/p>\n

I believe this answer is false given that many knowledge-intensive positions employ lengthy apprenticeship-like periods. Doctors must complete a residency; lawyers need to article<\/a>; and grad school for scientists is effectively an apprenticeship. If apprenticeship was only valuable for manual trades, why would it feature so prominently in elite cognitive work?<\/p>\n

If the common answer is wrong, we need to look for other explanations.<\/p>\n

Explanation #1: Apprenticeships are Expensive<\/h2>\n
\nListen to this article<\/small>
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