What is a blacksmith apprenticeship?

In the early days of blacksmithing, an apprenticeship was how a rookie blacksmith learned the skills and tools of the trade. Often, the apprentice would start out with menial work, such as sweeping the shop and cleaning the forges, before moving on to more repetitive blacksmithing projects. Today, much of these apprenticeship opportunities have been replaced by more traditional education in the form of trade school. Some blacksmiths do still choose to pursue an apprenticeship following their formal education to gain more hands-on experience and mentoring from an established expert.