Some say the phrase goes back to a practice of early apprenticeships.
Even in the skilled trades where apprenticeships have caught on, the model has suffered because of the collapse of the construction industry.
Many employers say the Labor Department’s six criteria need updating because they are based on a Supreme Court decision from 1947, when many apprenticeships were for blue-collar production work.
Courses are available through design institutes, vocational schools, and apprenticeships at large design firms.
Teenagers who don't care for university life--or want to delay it--could take apprenticeships, engage in public service, or attend vocational schools.
This in turn can foster charitable activities, from bursaries and grants to apprenticeships.
In fact, boys who did apprenticeships earned on average 7% more by the age of 30 than those who did not - regardless of whether the non-apprentices had high academic qualifications.
It also describes learning techniques such as apprenticeships and workshops, including ways to transfer knowledge from the work environment to the product development team.
A bigger concern is that early selection fails children from poor and immigrant families, who are likeliest to attend the least academic schools and to miss out on apprenticeships.
The plethora of agencies that finance, accredit, inspect and audit subsidised apprenticeships underwent various changes, leaving employers ever more confused.
