The researchers came across just one apprentice who valued the training she received, out of six they looked at in detail in the Tayside area. The others complained about the routine and undemanding work.
The report notes: “Here at last was a service sector job that incorporated what we have come to recognise as an apprenticeship. The level of work was demanding, the occupation was becoming self-regulating and there were opportunities for mentoring and skill acquisition.”
However, the researchers add: “It differed in two respects from the traditional apprenticeship model in that the apprentice was a woman and was over 25 years old.”