The Traditional Informal Apprenticeship System of West Africa as Preparation for Work

The traditional apprenticeship system in West Africa is gradually beginning to attract increasing interest not only for academic research and in professional disciplines but also as an active policy issue. This is not surprising given that this system has proved to be an enduring and an effective source of skills for much of West Africa. But its resilience is also attributable to its positive association with the equally pervasive informal sector of West African economies. Perhaps a more engaging argument for the resurgence of interest in traditional apprenticeship is the inability of formal systems to deliver the types of skills that are required to ensure employability of the ever-increasing new labour market entrants and to contribute to overall poverty reduction (Fluitman 2005).