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Apprenticeship (Traditional education) is a contractual agreement undertaken by the master-craftsman and the apprentice through which the apprentice is trained for a prescribed work process through practical experience under the supervision of the master-craftsman. It is a form of workplace learning education, which enables the apprentice to have on-the-job training. It builds in the apprentice, practical intelligence.

As a Youth Activist, I believe that the best way to train Youth Activists is to employ the apprentice-learning model where new Youth Activists are trained in the craft by an experienced, senior project manager.

The apprenticeship model is consistent with the current trend in education that emphasizes ‘learning by doing’. Recent studies of high-school physics students find suggests that students retain more when concepts are taught using “hands-on” methods rather than the traditional lecture style.

There are technical skills that Youth Activists need to know develop such as project planning, estimating costs, articulating status, mobilization and execution etc. But, these are possible through ‘soft skills’, matter the most. In numerous academic studies, communication, leadership, and relationships are identified as the key differentiators between good and great Youth Activists.

These ‘soft skills’ are not ‘book smart’ skills, nor are they always intuitive. They are often learned through years of experience, trial and error, and good professional training. The apprentice-learning model apprenticeship can shorten the time to acquire these skills by creating a formal process for a master craftsman to share experiences and wisdom with the apprentice Youth Activists.

In an apprenticeship model, the new Youth Activist goes through a progression of roles building both youth development skills and soft skills. The craftsman guides the apprentice through the process and coaches them through difficult situations.
Any aspiring Youth Activist manages a project through the full development lifecycle. They have accountability and ownership of the project, but the mentor provides support to ensure that they are successful.

As the apprenticeship continues, the new youth activist is assigned progressively more complicated assignments. During this period, the Boss may rotate to different areas within the organization. This allows them to broaden their experience and develop their internal, mentor network. The apprentice also learns that there can be different approaches to similar challenges.

A new Youth Activist receives coaching and mentoring from the management team. This mentoring is both tactical and strategic.

I believe that there is a strong relationship between the proficiency of a youth activist and the depth and breadth of their experiences. By using the apprenticeship model, we can front-load experiences that would normally take longer to acquire.

Flowing from the above, it is trite to opine that Dominic Kwesi Eduah is the most suitable applicant for the National Youth Organizer slot of the New Patriotic Party judging from his political history to date.

He has over the years distinguished himself creditably by discharging his duties without hesitation.

His critics say he’s "too slow", but I tell them, he (Dominic) has learnt not to outshine his master (Sammi Awuku), because he was appointed to help and support him to deliver on his mandate while learning and not to takeover. This is the first law of power.
Naysayers argue that he is soft-spoken without flesh, to them; I implore them to take a tour out of their busy propaganda schedules to science laboratories and see for themselves the bottles in which dangerous chemicals are kept, so they can stop judging per the fat content in one’s belly.

The reality of the contest is that, Dominic Eduah is the most experienced, most competent and with the right temperament for the assignment ahead; victory beyond 2020.

Kwame Sam
NPP Youth Activist