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Landing a place in the degree apprenticeship program might seem quite daunting from the outside, but believe us it is not that difficult. If you have the right set of soft skills and qualities then getting through the selection process will be a cakewalk for you. 

In this blog, we will tell you some of the skills that an employer is looking for in an apprentice. 

Now, most of you might already have this set of soft skills, but others who don’t have these skills need to further look at harnessing and improving them.

5 Must have skills an apprentice should have

We have listed the 5 must have qualities of an apprentice which will help you in landing that dream job with the employer:

1. Willingness to learn

The most desired skill that a company looks for in new hire is the willingness to learn. This attribute creates a zeal in the candidate to learn as much about the business from day one.

Being able to learn and execute both general and industry-specific skills is a major reason for success in young talent. 

The most successful apprentices are the ones who are inquisitive in nature and discover new areas of interest or improve on existing ones with the help of trainers and mentors. 

To sum up, let us give a quote from Brian Herbert, an American sci-fi author, who wrote,

“The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill, and the willingness to learn is a choice.”

2. Resilience

In a majority of degree apprenticeship programs, you might have to work with different people and complete complex tasks. You will be given sufficient training and get tasks assigned. 

This is the reason why a majority of companies mention this trait as a must in their requirement list. 

Companies understand that people become valuable members when they are put under pressure and demonstrate high levels of resilience in meeting their set of goals. 

Also Read: Academia and Industry Partnership for Skill Development

3. Determination

Determination is yet another trait that organisations look at while hiring young talent for apprenticeship programs. 

Some of the reasons why determination is the key criteria that companies look for in a candidate are:

1. Determination is a major source of motivation

2. It pushes individuals to move forward. 

If the candidate has a set goal in mind, he/she will try to overcome failure and move through obstacles that come in their way. 

This is the main reason why determination is the secret sauce to success.

4. Adaptability

Apprenticeship trainings involve working on a ton of different things. You might have to multi-task sometimes and do work that is not your comfort area. For the same reason, it is necessary that you have good adaptability skills to switch between roles quickly and deliver high-quality work. 

The interviewer might ask you for some instances from your life where you have changed roles and adapted quickly. You should answer this question by stating real-life examples and make the interviewer believe that you are actually good when it comes to adapting to a new environment efficiently and quickly. 

5. Passion

Next up in this list of apprenticeship skills is Passion. Passion helps in moving forward towards your goal when things get tougher. If the candidate is not passionate about what he or she is doing then probably they are in the wrong role and using up the company's resources which otherwise might be useful to others. 

If you are really passionate about what you are doing then you will constantly look forward to achieving more and improving. 

Initially your goal should be getting skilled and trained in a particular job role/industry and make a living out of it. If that goal persists till the end of the training then you can secure your future with employment. 

How to make the best out of an apprenticeship training

Now that we have talked about the necessary skills required to become an apprentice, let us show you some tips which can help you in getting the most out of your apprenticeship training.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Doing so might leave you with a lot of unexplained things after the program ends. 

2. Always show a positive attitude and don’t shy away in showing to the employers that you are enthusiastic about your job role.

3. Ask for help when you need it. 

4. Try to connect with your colleagues in order to build positive and fruitful relationships at work. 

Conclusion

So, these were some of the skills which you should have in order to get selected for an apprenticeship program. These skills will help you largely in the initial stages of your career.

Passion, adaptability, communication, resilience, determination and willingness to learn are some of the skills which will increase the chances of your success in any job role or industry across the globe. 

You might have to learn and work on some of these skills but it is never too late to get started.