Learning the “work” in the work environment is what “Apprenticeship” is about. It’s a system of learning that is age old. The modern version of “Apprenticeship” has evolved with the advances in technology to combine learning at work with supportive “book learning” outside the work environment. But it remains more “work learning” than “book learning” which is the main reason why apprenticeship helps better develop practical work skills required for performance to quality standards. Modern day “Apprenticeship” is also a mode of learning that promotes earning while learning.
In the age old system of Apprenticeship a young man would bind himself to a “Master Craftsman” who was a practitioner of a particular “trade” or means of livelihood, to learn the “trade” by staying with the “Master”, and serving him over a period of years while learning the “Trade”. After the learning period, which depended on the apprentice himself, only with the permission of the “Master” would the apprentice set out on his own as a “Journeyman” to earn his living. Eventually after gaining much experience he would become a “Master Craftsman” in his own right and so would perpetuate “Apprenticeship” in his turn.
“Apprenticeship” is not alien to Myanmar culture. In fact the Artisan Trades well known in Myanmar as the “Pan Sai Myo” (literally the ten flowers) owe their survival and propagation to “Apprenticeship”. The ten trades or crafts are Gold and Silver Smithy, Black Smithy, Bronze/Brass/Copper Casting, Wood Sculpting, Stone Sculpting, Painting, Carpentry, Turnery, Masonry and Lacquer ware making. These craftsmen were the main source of skilled labour that enabled the ancient Kings and Noblemen of the Myanmar Kingdoms to build the Pagodas, Palaces, Monasteries, Houses of abode, and other structures many of which stands today as testimony to their skills.
After the British annexed the whole of Myanmar (then Burma) in 1886, they set up railways and large riverine crafts to transport crude oil and cotton from the midlands, minerals from the mines in the highlands, timber, especially Teak from the Bago Yomas and further up North, rice from the Ayeyawady delta and Rakhine and so on, to transport them to the seaports in Myanmar and export them, many of the products as supply chain to the industries at “Home”. Thus they set up in Burma, a network of industries based on Agriculture, Forestry, Oil Drilling and Mining to process the products and ready them for export. They needed skilled workers to operate and maintain the infrastructures, machines and equipment of the industries they set up, including the large Grain Mills, Cement Mills, Mineral Processing Complexes, Saw Mills, Oil Refineries, Workshops, Shipyards and so on. To meet skilled workers requirements of the “Industrialization” they resorted mainly to “Apprenticeship”, which was the least costly means of training local skilled workers.
The British Colonial Government introduced the 1850 Apprentice Act from British India into Burma. The preamble to the law says that the law is aimed at “better enabling children, and especially orphans and poor children brought up by public charity, to learn, trades, crafts and employments, by which, when they come of full age, they may gain a livelihood”. The age specified for apprentices was “above the age of ten and under the age of eighteen” and the period of apprenticeship was not to exceed seven years.
During the British Colonial period “Apprenticeship” was extensively practised, especially in the larger Enterprises and Departments, both private and Government owned. To recall some of them, they were The Burma Oil Company, Burma Railways, The Burma Dockyards, The Burma Mines, The Irrawaddy Flotilla, Rangoon Electric Tramways, The Rangoon Port Authorities, The Rangoon Municipality, The State Timber Board, The Irrigation Department, The Highways Department, The Government Printing Press and so on and many were the skilled workers who were trained in the industries and workshops belonging to these Enterprises and Departments.
Many of the trained apprentices with their practical experience and further knowledge of their trades/professions gained through non formal means, eventually attained high positions in the Enterprises and Departments they served. Many, on the strength of their Apprenticeship Log Books could join the mercantile marine as Cadet Engineers. Some of them, after years of service on board ships, and passing the required examinations, rose through the successive ranks of ships’ engineers to become Chief Engineers in the mercantile marine.
After gaining independence in 1948, the “Employment and Training Act” was enacted by the Parliament in 1950. The act was to facilitate employment placement through establishment of “Labour Exchanges” by the Ministry of Labour as well as to conduct systematic training of workers to enhance their employability. It also promoted training of workers by employers in general.
The Ministry of Labour, in 1972 with the funding of the UNDP and the technical expertise provided by the ILO took the initiative to implement the “National Vocational Training Project” from 1972 to 1975. The modality adopted was promoting In-plant and Apprenticeship Training to train skilled work force for industry. The present Skills Centre under the MOLIP was set up in 1972 to train instructors, trainers and supervisors required for In-plant and Apprentice Training.
In-plant training took hold and there were many centres and schools including existing ones mostly under the various Ministries and the Departments under them. They sent their Training Administrators, Supervisors and Instructors to the training courses conducted by the Skills Training Centre of the MOL. There were altogether five experts sent by ILO to provide expertise for the NVTP.
Under the NVT project a draft Apprentice Law and Regulations were drawn up with the help of the Expert concerned, but did not see fruition presumably because of the lukewarm support of the Ministries concerned, even though it was the socialist era and almost all large scale industries were under one Ministry or the other.
The small private “industrial” establishments however, continued to take on young persons, especially from the rural areas as informal “apprentices” and trained them on the job for their own skilled worker needs. The practice is still prevalent. In many instances the apprentices are only given board and lodging and are not paid. The labour of the apprentices is exploited for years even after they become skilled as there is no assessment and certification of their skills. The Apprentice Act of 1850 was repealed in 1992.
With the advent of the Union Governments following the Multi-party Democratic Elections starting 2010, the Ministry of Labour (now reformed as Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population -MOLIP) like most other Ministries, worked to replace existing labour laws with updated ones reflecting the emerging needs of the various sectors of the economy. Thus the Ministry of Labour, submitted among other laws, the draft of the Employment and Skills Development Law of 2013 to the Hluttaw to replace the of timeexisting Employment and Training Act of 1950. The Hluttaw deliberated on the draft law over a long period and finally passed it in 2013. Among many other matters pertaining to employment and skills development of the workforce, the Employment and Skills Development Law (2013), enables employers to hire youths who have completed the age of sixteen years as apprentices and train them in accordance with the competency standards prescribed by the National Skills Standards Authority under the said law. In the ESD Law, the original of which is in the Myanmar language, the term “aloke-thin”- literally meaning “learner of the work” is used for “apprentice”- the traditional English usage.
The modern day apprentice training is practised in almost all countries of the world. It is a very cost effective way of training skilled workers. In fact with hi-tech making its way rapidly in to workplaces, in future all types of workplace based training , including modern apprenticeship will enable the work force to adapt rapidly to technological changes.
Myanmar will benefit much by introducing modern day Apprenticeship as practised around the world. The Rules could stipulate the apprentice occupations or trades, the standards of competency to be achieved after the total period of apprenticeship, the duration of apprenticeship depending on the Competency Standards to be achieved in the occupation or trade, as well the percentage of wages of skilled workers that the apprentices could progressively be paid throughout the period of serving as an apprentice. The training could be conducted systematically entirely on-the-job or where possible, the apprentice could be sent to a training provider for the “book learning” part of the occupation or trade concerned.
Apprenticeship could enable many school dropouts, especially those from rural area families of limited means, and enable them to acquire a means of livelihood in the more common occupations of the small and medium enterprises. Apprenticeship in common occupations like bricklaying, bar-bending, concreting, electrical wiring, welding, pipe fitting, metal machining, small engine repairing and even garment making, shoe making and so on for which skilled workers are in demand could be undertaken by both private and public enterprises, operating in any State or Region of Myanmar. The State or Regional Governments could suggest the apprentice trades or occupations which would contribute to the development of the skilled workers most needed by their States or Regions. Committees set up by the State or Regional Governments could administer the Apprenticeship System in accordance with the Apprenticeship Rules and Regulations made under the Employment and Skills Development Law.
By Lokethar
