Into The Modern Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship is an ancient and traditional way of vocational education training. Before the appearance of formal vocational school, the apprenticeship, with the character of learning from doing, was the main channel to deliver the knowledge, technology and culture. At the end of the 18th century, as the rising of the Industrial Revolution, the apprenticeship was on the wane for the reason of the establishment of the mechanical production system. Then, a new form of vocational education-vocational school replaced the apprenticeship. Although the vocational school contributed a lot to the development of world economy as well as the training of technical workers, it' s malpractice which emphasized the theory and neglected the practice resulted in the school graduates far from the need of the industry. The people from the industry complained of poor practice of such students. As stepping into the 20th century, the rapid progress of scientific technology and the intensification of the globalization bring about the fierce competition of world economy; meanwhile it also lead to the change of the industrial structure and occupational structure. As a result, the society poses higher requests on the modern workers. Moreover, the miracle of German and Japanese economic development has proven that the vocational education related with the development of production and economy is a successful road. So at such background, the apprenticeship is rethought and redeveloped. In the new times, people endow more connotation and meanings to the apprenticeship, so called "Modern Apprenticeship" .Britain and Australia develop their own forms of the modern apprenticeship on the base of the German "double systems" , called respectively "Modern Apprenticeship" and "New Apprenticeship" . To some degree, they are the successful models in the history of the vocational education reform. So the purpose of the paper is to make a conclusion of their successful experiences and lessons from failing practice by the way of describing the general situation of the development of their modern apprenticeship, that is the important treasure for us to make a reform in the field of vocational education and training.