The Apprenticeship Law establishes an obligation for many companies. But the law, by itself, does not train professionals. It creates the opportunity. Leadership is what turns this opportunity into a career. When reading testimonials from former apprentices, one aspect stands out: they rarely talk about the legislation. They almost never mention the quota. What remains in the memory are the people. The leader who taught. The manager who had patience. Who believed in their potential. Who guided us through the first challenges. Who corrected it without discouraging. Who trusted.
The Apprentice Program starts with the law, but success depends on authentic leaders
The Apprenticeship Law establishes an obligation for many companies. But the law, by itself, does not train professionals. It creates the opportunity. Leadership is what turns this opportunity into a career. When...
These accounts reveal a simple truth. The Apprentice Program begins with the law. But your success depends on leadership. It is not enough to welcome a young person into the company. It is necessary to welcome it. To teach. Guide. To hear. Give feedback. Stimulate your curiosity. Allow you to learn from mistakes. Show you how the professional environment works. More than supervising tasks, the leader trains people. The young apprentice arrives with no experience. But it doesn't come without talent.
Arrive with a desire to learn. Expectantly. With dreams. Often, this is your first job opportunity and also your first concrete experience of professional responsibility. The way you are received could influence your entire trajectory.
Throughout my career I have followed countless cases of young people who started as apprentices, were hired, grew professionally and assumed leadership positions. What was there in common between them? In addition to personal dedication, they found leaders who taught them, trusted in their potential and gave them the opportunity to grow. That's why I often say that leaders don't just manage apprentices. It helps to train the professionals that the company itself will need in the future.
Each young person can represent a future analyst. An expert. A supervisor. A manager. Maybe even a director. When the leader understands this responsibility, he stops seeing the apprentice just as someone who needs to complete tasks. Start seeing it as an investment in people.
The best learning programs are not necessarily those that simply comply with legislation. These are those in which leaders make a commitment to developing people. Companies that face difficulties in hiring qualified professionals find, in learning, an opportunity to train their own talents. But this only happens when leadership participates in this process. The testimonies of so many former apprentices leave a valuable lesson. They don't just thank you for the job. They are grateful for the people who believed in them.
A leader's greatest legacy may not just be delivering results. Be training people. People who will one day form other people. This is how a company builds a culture of development. This is how new leaders emerge. This is how the Apprentice Program fulfills its true mission. The law opens the door. Leadership transforms opportunity into development. And the apprentice turns this opportunity into a career. Everyone wins, the Company, the Young People, the School and Brazil.
*José Augusto Minarelli, president of the National System of the Business-School Integration Center – CIEE and president of the Board of Directors of CIEE/SP
Source: Nortão News
This story was originally published by Nortão News. Visit the original publication for further details.
Open original publication