How Good Tech Apprenticeships Differ From Internships

Written by Deidra Moss | Nov 16, 2023 8:38:26 PM

In today's competitive job market, the value of hands-on experience cannot be overstated. It's the bridge that connects theoretical knowledge to practical skills, and it often makes all the difference when it comes to employability and career success. This is especially true in the ever-evolving technology sector, where employers seek candidates who not only possess academic qualifications but also have the ability to apply their knowledge in real-world situations. “Entry-level jobs” in tech are renowned for demanding 3 years of experience - a chicken and egg problem at the core, but one that illustrates the value companies place on practice experience.

Apprenticeships Bridge Skills Gaps Between Available Talent and "Entry-level" Requirements

Believe it or not, but the apprenticeship model has existed for centuries to bridge the gap between theory and on-the-job savoir-faire. This model applies very well to the tech world for roles in software engineering, machine learning, embedded engineering, devops, cybersecurity, and more.

Apprenticeships differ significantly from internships and are much more intensive, though they are often (incorrectly) ranked lower than internships from the point of view of recruiters and hiring managers.

Apprenticeships focus on building specific on-the-job skills and competencies, and on training a solid employee over a longer period of time. Internships are like boxes to check for students and like employee dating for companies, but their focus is not on building skills or developing competencies.

Arguably, apprenticeships are entry-level jobs but with a 3-month intensive training period at the start of the job that serve to bridge gaps between the new employee’s skill level and the desired skills and hands-on experience required to make them useful on engineering teams.

Internships Aren't Designed to Create Great Engineering Talent

Internships are short-term work experiences offered by organizations to individuals, often students or young professionals, to provide entry-level exposure to a particular industry or field. These programs serve as a bridge between academic knowledge and real-world applications, allowing participants to apply their classroom learning in a professional setting.

The typical duration of an internship varies based on the season, industry, and employer which can range from a few weeks to several months. Interns are usually assigned to a specific department or project, where they work alongside experienced professionals, contribute to tasks, and gain firsthand knowledge of industry practices.

They are not designed to develop great engineering talent: they are used to find the "best" candidates from universities

Apprenticeship Programs vs. Traditional Internships

Tech apprenticeship programs differ from traditional internships in that they offer distinct pathways to hands-on experience, each with its own set of advantages and differences. While internships typically provide short-term exposure to an industry, apprenticeships offer an extended and immersive experience. The apprenticeship program, lasting one year or more, ensures that apprentices gain a deeper understanding of the tech field, with a focus on skill development, real project work, and a structured curriculum.

In terms of learning objectives, traditional internships often lack a well-defined curriculum, leaving the educational aspect more informal. In contrast, Qwasar's program provides a structured curriculum that encompasses both hard and soft skills, equipping apprentices with the knowledge required for advanced engineering roles. This ensures that apprentices are not just passive observers but active contributors to real-world projects.

Compensation and benefits also differ between the two. While internships may offer limited compensation and benefits, apprentices receive competitive compensation that increases as their skills develop, making it a sustainable and rewarding journey. Moreover, mentorship and guidance are central to the apprenticeship program, with dedicated mentors providing support and constructive feedback, ensuring apprentices receive the guidance needed for their professional development.

Here are the key differences between internships and apprenticeships:

Criteria	Internship	Apprenticeship
Duration and depth of experience	Typically short-term (1-3 months) and less intensive. May provide a broad overview of the industry.	Typically long-term (1-4 years) and more intensive. Offers an in-depth, immersive experience in a specific field.
Structure	6-12 weeks with 1-7 days of onboarding No formal technical training	3-months of intensive technical training prior to joining engineering teams Ongoing training and support for 6-12 months after apprentice joins engineering team
Learning objectives and outcomes	Learning objectives may vary and are often informal. Focuses on learning through observation, collaboration, and applying theoretical concepts in practical situations. Outcomes may include exposure to industry practices.	Structured curriculum with clear learning objectives. Emphasizes skill development and workplace readiness with a focus on hands-on learning. Provides comprehensive and structured training to become highly skilled in that field.
Compensation and benefits	May or may not be paid. Compensation varies and may be lower than industry standards. Benefits may be limited. Employers may offer college credit.	Paid compensation, increasing as skills develop. Regulated programs often result in full-time employment. May include benefits such as mentorship, professional development, and a direct pathway to a career.
Mentorship and guidance	Mentorship may or may not be consistent. Support varies by organization. Interns tackle smaller tasks. Supporting role that gives a glimpse of possible career paths.	Strong emphasis on mentorship. Apprentices are assigned mentors who provide ongoing guidance, support, and constructive feedback. Apprentices are taught tangible skills to equip them for a career in that industry/trade.
Average candidate (“input”)	Young individuals, typically in college or recently graduated Possess minimal professional work experience Limited experience actually writing code or debugging	Generally have at least 3 years of professional work experiences, sometimes 10-15 years Possess greater maturity and savoir-faire of the workplace in general Significant experience actually writing code or debugging
Outcomes (“output”)	An individual who is better prepared for the professional world, with enhanced practical skills, insights into industry operations, and a network of professional contacts	A low-risk, top-level employee, ready to make an immediate and significant contribution to the workforce. Apprentices emerge from the program with the skills and experience to excel in their roles, making them invaluable assets to any company in the technology sector.
Goal	Help early talent transition from the academic environment to the workplace	Generate high quality, low-turnover engineers and employees

The Apprenticeship Advantage

Apprenticeships have a significant advantage over internships, namely that the focus is on skills and competency, not exposure to industry or ‘testing to see if we like the intern enough to hire them.’

Interns are largely young employees who have a lot of theory but little practical experience, whereas apprentices are largely working professionals with significant coding and debugging under their belt. The results are quite tangible in terms of on-the-job performance:

Interns:

Posts 1671 line code change
Forgets to add tests
Writes commit message as "fix"
Uses 'a' and 'a2' as variable names
Keeps print ("HERE!!!") statements
Invents their own style guide
Swallows errors to make errors go away
Adds helper functions for helper functions
Works on their machine

Apprentices:

Follows best practices for code changes
Always adds tests
Writes proper commit messages
Uses proper/helpful variable names
Removes print statements
Respects style guide at 90+%
Talks about errors to learn from them
Properly uses helper functions
Works on an IDE, uses standard tools like Git with ease

These less-than-best practices of interns are concrete examples of why engineering teams don’t want to hire entry-level software engineers fresh out of college because such errors cause a nightmare and have a real and significant cost associated with them.

Good apprenticeships are designed to avoid these and to develop such skills and good habits.

Apprenticeships also have the advantage of being able to supply almost unlimited talent. Internships are limited to those in a CS degree, and even at that, embedded engineering internships are limited to those CS students who took C courses - a small percentage of CS students! Apprenticeships aren’t limited in this sense, and pull from a larger talent pool, meaning they can undoubtedly help to fill roles that are hard to fill.

Apprenticeship Can Increase Supply for Embedded Engineers Where More Internships Can't

The demand for skilled embedded engineers is skyrocketing as industries ranging from automotive to consumer electronics rely on embedded systems to power their innovations. However, the availability of qualified embedded engineers doesn't meet the growing demand, creating a significant talent pipeline problem.

One of the challenges in the embedded engineering field is finding talent that is competent in the C language. C isn’t required in most CS degrees, few students opt to study it, and you either know it or you don’t: knowing Java won’t suffice by a long shot.

The shortage of embedded engineers intensifies competition among companies seeking to hire these professionals. Smaller companies with limited budgets often find it challenging to attract and retain top talent. As a result, they face the dilemma of either paying higher salaries to lure experienced engineers or exploring alternative ways to expand the talent pool.

Apprenticeships can significantly expand the pool of potential embedded engineers by selecting "almost good enough" candidates who align with a company's culture and values and training them in the technical skills they’re missing. Read more on this use case here.

At Qwasar, we help companies run embedded engineering apprenticeship programs: we take care of the 3 months of training and preparing a workplace-ready engineer with a significant amount of C programming under their belt. This enables companies to recruit talent that’s almost qualified but lacks deal-breaker skills such as writing and efficiently debugging code in C, Assembly, or other languages your company uses.

To Sum Up: If You Need Talent or Are Running Internships, You Should Run Apprenticeships

In summary, traditional internships, while valuable for exposure, often provide a shorter and less structured experience than apprenticeships. Both avenues offer unique benefits, but the apprenticeship program provides a more comprehensive learning experience and can better help companies solve talent pipeline challenges in hard-to-hire-for roles.

If you're intrigued by the unique advantages of Qwasar's advanced engineering apprenticeship program and want to explore it further, we encourage you to visit our website at www.qwasar.io for comprehensive information on the program, its structure, benefits, and how it can be customized to meet your specific industry needs.

For any inquiries, questions, or to start an apprenticeship program, please feel free to contact our team. We're here to assist you in solving tech talent challenges.

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