Reimagining Igbo Apprenticeship: Bringing It Up To Speed with Contemporary Realities

Abstract

The paper seeks to interrogate the practise and direction of Igbo apprenticeship, with particular interest in unravelling the reasons for the declining interest in apprenticeship generally among Igbo youths in South East, Nigeria. The paper is an exploratory, qualitative research paper premised on desk research encapsulating a comprehensive review of ethnographic and historical records while also utilising the observation method in informal workplaces and trading sites spread across diverse work settings. The findings indicate that the much talked about Igbo apprenticeship is facing significant challenges, and several factors have combined to demarket Igbo apprenticeship, making it less appealing to unemployed youths, with grave implications for unemployment, wealth creation and poverty reduction. Given the demand of the modern labour market, the paper calls for a hybrid model of apprenticeship that introduces in a more systematic manner, elements of traditional structure with a view to improving skill levels, job independence, higher remuneration, active engagement and sustenance of interest of all stakeholders.