I think apprenticeships have the potential to create a much more efficient learning model. Most people learn by doing, not by reading books, listening to lectures or taking tests. If you tray to cram too much information inside at a time, you will not retain much for very long. Testing a person for their knowledge has huge drawbacks namely that you are testing for memory skills, not practical working knowledge. If you learn a little and use it right after, it will reinforce that knowledge and make the learning of the subject much more satisfying.