Abstract:

In academia, several studies have emerged on apprenticeship and mentoring. Through the contents of such presentations, it appears, a vivid demarcation between the two does not exist. While this could be true in a sense, its application to the indigenous Igbo business mentoring may likely prove otherwise. This is because while apprenticeship could be viewed as a special arrangement between mentees and mentors for learning in occupations in trade, art, etc. the indigenous Igbo business mentoring is perceived as a traditional scheme specially designed to empower the youth population. Such an empowerment usually takes place early in their lives and it afford them an opportunity to set up their small-scale business to better their lots, communities and for positive contributions to national development. The scheme is largely associated with Igbo extraction in the southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Actually, previous studies have shown several traditional apprenticeships in areas such as dying, pottery, weaving of cloth and hair dressing known as “onidiri” in Yoruba land, southwest Nigeria etc., which are in practice in other geopolitical zones of Nigeria but the peculiarity of the indigenous Igbo business mentoring is yet to be fully illustrated in academic and business literature in Nigeria. The present study intends to address this flaw in knowledge. It engages data from secondary source which means, materials from the library and internet were used to collect information for the study while it considers content analysis as the most appropriate methodology due to its nature. The paper argues in the concluding section that the selected forms of apprenticeship shares a common boundary with Indigenous Igbo business mentoring but strictly different in areas of the financial assistance known as “idu-odibo’ available for the youth who engaged in the scheme “igba-odibo” but not in existence in other apprenticeships. Where payment is concerned in other apprenticeship, it involves apprentices paying for skill learnt and certificates, among other things.