A constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Barr Ken Ikeh, has advocated policies of concerned authorities to salvage the Igbo apprenticeship scheme.
Barr Ikeh was reacting to clamours of some stakeholders to resuscitate the scheme, which hitherto was a platform for empowerment in Igboland.
The lawyer described it “as a reliable method of human capital development and empowerment which enables a young adult to engage in a practical hands-on internship under an accomplished artisan or a successful businessman or trader.
“Usually, the young adult lives with his master alone and serves as a trainee or he lives with his master, his wife and children and other co-trainees.
“In any of the above cases, the young adult will be exposed to skill acquisition, grooming and real life family management, after which he would be settled to begin his own business.”
He said the collapse of the scheme was because it is not institutionalised by the government.
Quoting him, “Some of the challenges associated with this form of informal skill acquisition and empowerment are that most times, the terms and conditions for the scheme are not secured by a written agreement.
“At other times, the entire business is left on the shoulder of the young adult without diligent coaching. There are also incidents of abuse of the young adult either by his master or someone who was expected to coach the young adult, as well as refusal to settle the trainee after the exercise.”
He said for the scheme to be optimal, it must be backed by the law.
In his words, “The government should intervene by raising the bar of protection available to the young adults by providing a minimum age for entry and security for their entitlement upon completion.
“I believe that if discrete effort is made to make the terms and conditions for the Igbo apprenticeship scheme more transparent and secure, it will serve a very useful purpose in the empowerment of young adults not only in Igbo land but it will enhance the country’s gross domestic product.”