In most African countries, informal learning is widespread. In West Africa, it is widely regarded as by far the most important source of vocational training. It is rooted in local traditions and culture and is governed by a wide range of informal rules, such as customs and cultural values.
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In Côte d’Ivoire in particular, informal apprenticeships are the training route most commonly taken by young people, as opposed to school-based private or public technical and vocational training. However, due to their informal nature, apprenticeships are often considered vulnerable to exploitation. This is partly due to the length of apprenticeships, which is thought to be orchestrated by master craftsmen with the aim of exploiting apprentices.
As part of the ongoing research project “Pathways for vocational training and informal learning in West Africa“, we are conducting ethnographic research in a car mechanics workshop in Soubré, Côte d’Ivoire. We hope to understand the nature and reasons behind the long duration of informal apprenticeships and to take these into account for better policymaking. This blog sets out our perspective on the issue and presents one of the ideas we are currently working on.
Using all the senses to acquire technical skills
Informal car mechanics rely on multiple senses to diagnose faults in a vehicle. Sight, which is essential in the mechanics trade, enables them to see and assess all faults. Smell allows them to detect certain odours emanating from the vehicle and helps them pinpoint the fault. Hearing, meanwhile, enables the detection of certain sounds or noises, whether they originate from the engine, the wheels or elsewhere. For example, the sound coming from an exhaust pipe helps determine whether there is a fault in that area or not. Some faults are also detected through the mechanic’s intuition. For example, whilst driving the vehicle, the mechanic may feel the vehicle surge forward and then lose power. They can then deduce that this is due to the fuel pump not receiving a proper supply of fuel.
Consequently, we have observed that after each repair, the foreman or the boss takes one or two apprentices with him in the repaired vehicle and sets off to test it, to ensure they have not heard anything unusual, such as rattling noises, nor sensed anything out of the ordinary. This is an opportunity for the apprentices to learn to hone all their senses.
This aspect of the apprenticeship reveals that, beyond technical knowledge, there exists imperceptible knowledge: embodied knowledge. Therefore, the integration of these forms of knowledge becomes complex and requires a considerable amount of time to master. Furthermore, the apprenticeship follows two main approaches: observation and imitation. Whilst the master craftsman or his assistant is working, the apprentices stand around him, observing him and asking questions where necessary. It is up to them to memorise what they have seen the master craftsman do and to carry out the same tasks when the opportunity arises. As a consequence, the acquisition of technical skills depends on several factors which the apprentice must fulfil if they are to make rapid progress in their training: a willingness to work, courage, diligence, and consistency.
Frequent absences of apprentices from the workshop
Learning in a workshop follows a process that requires the apprentice to attend regularly. During a conversation, the boss stated that an apprentice needs at least three years to learn the names of the tools and parts, as well as the role each part plays in the vehicle. Moreover, this applies to apprentices who attend work regularly; it takes even longer for those who are absent from time to time. After that, the aim is to be able to repair any fault that arises. The apprentices observe and learn from the repair work carried out by the boss and the assistant mechanics to satisfy the customer. It is therefore from the breakdowns that occur on a given day that the apprentices learn. Consequently, being absent for even a short time prevents them from discovering and learning about a new breakdown other than those they have already encountered. When asked, ‘How many years do you think it takes to complete the apprenticeship?’ the apprentices themselves reply that it takes at least eight to ten years for a diligent apprentice, and longer for those who are not. Furthermore, technology is evolving rapidly, so learners need to be present in order to discover and learn about these new technologies when they appear at the garage.
Therefore, regular absences affect the duration of the apprenticeship, and we have identified two reasons why apprentices are regularly absent. The first reason is that the apprentices’ parents call on them to help with farm work because Soubré is an agricultural region and one of the largest cocoa-producing areas. The majority of the apprentices’ parents are farmers in the villages and hamlets around Soubré.
The second reason that most often forces apprentices to be absent is a lack of financial resources or food. Because their parents are in villages and hamlets far from Soubré, they rent houses in town closer to the workshops. Therefore, they need to be provided with food and financial support, yet it has been observed that the parents do not always meet these needs. This forces some apprentices to travel regularly to the hamlet to fetch food, whilst others have to take on small jobs to feed themselves and meet their basic needs.
The responsive nature of informal learning
Informal apprenticeships in rural areas of Côte d’Ivoire in general, and in Soubré in particular, are fraught with a number of difficulties that contribute to prolonging the duration of the apprentices’ training. Indeed, informal apprenticeships follow two main approaches: observation and imitation. Furthermore, there is no theoretical teaching based on a set curriculum and therefore no catch-up sessions for those who were absent at a given time. Learning takes place in response to the faults that customers bring to the garage. The acquisition of experience regarding a particular fault depends on how often the apprentice encounters it. However, some faults occur more often than others. This means that an apprentice may gain experience in repairing a specific fault very quickly, whilst having no knowledge of less frequent faults. It will take them longer before they are confronted with those faults and gain experience of them.
Furthermore, the blending of different forms of sensory knowledge makes the learning process complex and requires apprentices to be regularly present in the workshops, but as mentioned above, the need for food and money means that apprentices cannot commit always to regular attendance.
Conclusion
Our study reveals the sensory aspects of becoming a competent mechanic in the Ivorian context, where high-tech and specialised equipment for fault detection and repair verification is not always available outside the largest cities. These aspects and the local adaptations are rarely considered in discussions of skills transfer in the informal sector. As a consequence, an important skill set is overlooked.
It is important to understand the experience of apprentices holistically, particularly in relation to how family livelihoods, regional trade structures, and cultural practices and norms influence an apprentice’s ability to master a trade. These aspects also influence master craftsmen. Our ongoing investigation will examine in more detail how these aspects influence master craftsmen’s ability to train their apprentices as they wish, and how they adapt the training to accommodate young people’s needs.
Finally, the duration of the apprenticeship is sometimes extended by master craftsmen’s reluctance to let certain apprentices leave. This aspect and its relationship with exploitation will be examined in a separate blog on apprentice-employer relations.
