apprenticeship

noun

ap·​pren·​tice·​ship ə-ˈpren-tə(sh)-ˌship 

ə-ˈpren-təs-ˌship

1

: a position as an apprentice : an arrangement in which someone learns an art, trade, or job under another

He obtained an apprenticeship with a carpenter.

Later that year, he decided to become a barrister—a career that requires acceptance into an apprenticeship …

—Sidney Blumenthal

2

: the period of time when a person is an apprentice

During most of his apprenticeship he lived in Paris …

—Robert Penn Warren

a two-year apprenticeship

Synonyms

• externship
• internship
• practicum
• training

Examples of apprenticeship in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The number of young people starting apprenticeships in the U.K. has dropped by nearly one-third since 2016. —Trey Williams, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2023

Carolina’s defense may be enough to bridge Young’s apprenticeship. —Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023

In recent years, ReVision Energy, which installs solar panels and heat pumps across the Northeast, has started training dozens of new workers in house, offering apprenticeships and helping employees get their electrician licenses. —New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023

Unions and employers increase apprenticeships Labor unions and employers are racing to train young Alaskans for the work that’s coming, said Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO federation of labor unions. —Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Aug. 2023

Then a lanky 17-year-old about to start an apprenticeship in a bakery, Mr. El Haïry set out for the brick station a couple of days later. —Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023

After dropping out of school, Gambon gained an apprenticeship as a toolmaker with manufacturing giant Vickers Armstrong, became a qualified engineering technician and appeared set to follow his father’s footsteps. —Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Sep. 2023

Unlike the biography of many famous concert pianists, the story of Vogt’s life reads less like a hagiography and more like a bildungsroman: a calling, an arduous apprenticeship, and a mature artistry that was ultimately less about solitary stardom and more about musical community. —Max Norman, The New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2023

But now, with the array of apprenticeship schemes offering a foot in the door to previously exclusive businesses, Meads’s advice would be to skip out on further education and start carving out your career. —Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

apprenticeship

noun

ap·​pren·​tice·​ship

ə-ˈprent-əs-ˌship

1

: service as an apprentice

2

: the period during which a person serves as an apprentice