Can an apprenticeship help someone become an entrepreneur?
Yes. An apprenticeship provides practical industry experience, technical skills, workplace exposure, and business knowledge that can lay the foundation for starting your own business. This success story follows a 12th-pass student who joined Yashaswi Group’s Apprenticeship Program, developed expertise in logistics and warehouse operations, and took his first steps towards becoming a business owner.
With over 42 years of experience in empowering students, Yashaswi Group has been supporting young aspirants to bridge the gap between education and employment through its skill development initiatives, such as Apprenticeship and Learn and Earn Program. To date, we have trained over 80,000 students, especially from rural and underserved backgrounds. Through our skilling initiatives across Pune, Maharashtra and India, students have gained the right industry exposure, practical training, industrial skills and have successfully started a business after an apprenticeship.
In this blog, we are going to discuss the journey of one such student who transformed his aspirations into reality. A progression of a village-based 12th pass student to the owner of a skilled trades business startup through apprenticeship-led learning.
How did Apprenticeship and Yashaswi support him in entering Logistics?
Vijay was an ordinary small-town boy with extraordinary ambitions. He grew up in the city of Manmad, 90 kilometres away from Nashik, a historically rich city and a flourishing educational hub of North Maharashtra. Vijay completed his education up to class 12th and was uncertain about his future due to prolonged financial hardship. However, he was fascinated by how goods moved across cities, states and countries and dreamed of setting up a logistics business.
One day, Vijay and his friends planned a trip to Nashik. During this period, he came across Yashaswi’s Apprenticeship Program’s advertisement. He got curious and visited Yashaswi’s office in Nashik. There, the officials informed him about the apprenticeship program and how it assists young aspirants to fulfil their dreams by providing them with practical training, a monthly stipend and certification. He then enrolled and, a few days later, was placed at a prominent import-export company in Nashik.
What Skills Can Students Learn Through On-the-Job Training in Logistics?
With Yashaswi’s guidance, he secured an apprenticeship in Nashik’s well-established company as a supply chain associate/in-plant logistics assistant. There, he received 8 hours of vigorous on-the-job training on the shop floor under the mentorship of seasoned professionals. The program introduced him to essential warehouse and logistics operations, such as:
- Picking and kitting materials
- Binning and Sequencing materials
- Line feeding
- Loading and unloading operations
- In-plant warehouse maintenance
He acquired the industry skills through practical and theoretical learning to excel in his role and build a strong foundation for his future career.
Why Did He Choose a Second Apprenticeship Program?
After completing his first apprenticeship, he was confident that he had developed a strong foundation in logistics and supply chain operations. However, he realised that his skills were limited and continuous learning was essential to understanding warehouse operations and the logistics ecosystem. To deepen his knowledge, he decided to enrol on an apprenticeship program and was appointed as a warehouse apprentice. This second apprenticeship assisted him in gaining skills, such as:
- Management of warehouse data through the ERP system
- Trend analysis and report generation
- Inventory forecasting
- Label generation and tracking
- Coordination between line functions
The experience gave him a thorough understanding of both operational and administrative aspects of warehouse management, important for setting up a business.
How Can Apprenticeship Prepare Someone for Entrepreneurship?
Apprenticeship is one such model that prepares youth for real-world technicalities. It is a model where young minds learn the functioning of the shop floor, in this case, the duties and warehouse operations, i.e, preparing for trade skills entrepreneurship. It nurtures youth through practical on-the-job training accompanied by theoretical lessons. It teaches shop-floor execution to warehouse planning and coordination. This not only stops here but also provides trainees with a monthly stipend to initiate their financial autonomy. These realistic work experiences not only develop skills in youth but also assist them in becoming self-employed after training.
How Does Yashaswi Help Students Build Careers Through Apprenticeship?
Yashaswi empowers students, job seekers, and aspiring professionals through its skill development initiatives, like the apprenticeship program. With a strong presence across diverse industries and a collaboration with industry leaders, it aims to reach new heights in providing skilling and employment opportunities. By combining learning with practical workplace exposure, Yashaswi assists young individuals in transitioning from apprentice to business owner.
Whether your goal is employment, skill development, or trades skills entrepreneurship, we have the right apprenticeship for you!
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Email: sales@yashaswigroup.in
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):
The first step is to acquire industry and business-related knowledge through On-The-Job training from apprenticeships or equivalent courses or programs.
It’s always a good idea to take practical training for ground-level understanding from skill development institutes like Yashaswi Group in Pune.
Formal education, certifications, hands-on training, skill development courses, apprenticeships, business knowledge, networking and workplace experience are key requirements for opening a workshop.
There is no fixed timeline; depending on experience, skills, and resources, individuals may start their own workshop within a few years after their apprenticeship.
Starting a business with no money is difficult, but apprenticeships, industry experience, investors, partnerships, and government support schemes can help aspiring entrepreneurs begin small.