APL and Apprenticeships: Who Is Responsible for Future Electricians?

There is a constant debate about trade schools failing to arrange enough relevant internship placements. Many students end up temporarily working in wholesale warehouses instead of out in the field on real installation projects. Criticism is often directed at the schools, but placing the blame there misses the root problem.

A school can never force an installation company to open its doors.

A Shared Responsibility in the Electrical Industry

The electrical industry has collectively decided that APL (workplace learning) and an apprenticeship period of approximately 1,600 hours are mandatory requirements to obtain certification. When the industry sets these frameworks, a moral obligation also arises for companies to actually offer these training placements.

At Smista Elinstallation AB, we are passionate about passing our craft and collective knowledge on to the next generation. At the same time, reality is tough for smaller electrical firms. Taking on an apprentice requires full focus, patience, and continuous supervision. As a smaller company with high quality standards, we simply do not have the resources to mentor more than one student at a time without our core work suffering.

This is where the industry needs to place significantly higher demands on larger companies with big organizations and higher turnover. That is where the large volume of placements must reasonably be found.

Schools Are Doing What They Can

Our experience is that vocational teachers and coordinators work hard to match their students with companies throughout the region. The dialogue between school and company is often close, but when too few companies say yes, a bottleneck occurs that schools cannot magically solve on their own.

Student Drive and Work Ethic

However, securing a placement is not solely the responsibility of companies and schools. Professional life places completely different demands than the classroom.

In a smaller firm, there is no room for a lack of commitment. For an internship or apprenticeship to work, the student must demonstrate:

• Self-drive and curiosity: A desire to actively learn and ask questions.
• Punctuality and attendance: Keeping time and taking responsibility for one's schedule.
• Understanding of the craft and customer: Respect for safety regulations, workplace order, and a pleasant demeanor with customers.

For students who show the right attitude and determination, our door is always open whenever we have the capacity to mentor.