Apprenticeship vs Internship: Difference and Comparison

When a person starts his or her career, they seek to gain some work experience in the practical field. This work experience will help them hone the skills that will help them in their future professional life.

This work experience is the only time they can learn their profession’s A-Z. Once this chance is missed, there will hardly be chances of such hand-holding teaching opportunities ahead.

The students are the ones who take up this opportunity. People 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, some differences set an apprenticeship apart from an internship.

Key Takeaways

1. Apprenticeship is a training program that combines on-the-job learning with classroom instruction to develop specific skills.
2. An internship is a short-term work experience that provides hands-on training in a particular field or industry.
3. Apprenticeships focus more on long-term career development, while internships concentrate more on providing practical experience.

Apprenticeship vs Internship

The difference between an Apprenticeship and an Internship is that the definition and the scope of learning differ. The apprenticeship is considered a paid job under a professional to learn a skill related to the business and trading world. At the same time, 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. 

Students mainly accept an internship, so they have minor duties that don’t affect the company majorly and 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 significant decisions pertaining to the company, but they are more independent than interns.

The apprenticeship is offered to people who have completed their education, but students take up an internship. And, of course, the apprentice gets paid, whereas an intern doesn’t get paid.

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Comparison Table

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; it can be opted for while studying.
Stipend	Yes, the average set stipend is fixed per hour.	No, it will provide for lunch and travelling.
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.

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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 apprentice is independent in the form of work but doesn’t get any significant 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 undertaken after the person has acquired his degree.

Some university also keeps in their curriculum the apprenticeship as the syllabus for the final semester.

After the completion of work, the apprentice 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 endeavour.

 

What is Internship?

An internship is 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 significant 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 endeavour.

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 essential learning and understand the workings and mechanisms of an office and department. 

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Main Differences Between Apprenticeship and Internship

1. Apprenticeship is a job where the apprentice learns about the skills and jobs related to the trading and business world, but an internship consists of interns who work to build their resumes.
2. Apprenticeship is a full-time endeavour, whereas an internship can be part-time or full-time.
3. 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.
4. The apprenticeship is paid, but interns don’t get paid. Interns, however, do get money for lunch and travel.
5. 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.
6. A job sometimes follows the apprenticeship, but a job offer doesn’t follow an internship.

References

1. https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/625
2. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/223161