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a person who works for another in order to learn a trade:
an apprentice to a plumber.
History/Historical. a person legally bound through indenture to a master craftsman in order to learn a trade.
a learner; novice; tyro.
U.S. Navy. an enlisted person receiving specialized training.
a jockey with less than one year’s experience who has won fewer than 40 races.
to bind to or place with an employer, master craftsman, or the like, for instruction in a trade.
to serve as an apprentice:
He apprenticed for 14 years under a master silversmith.
Contemporary Examples

So he was sent away in 1964 to apprentice at the Rolls-Royce plant in England.
Hold Onto Your Penis David Frum, Justin Green November 28, 2012

That’s why I’ve argued that it’s possible to still love The apprentice even if you hate Trump’s politics.
How Celebrity Apprentice Prepares Trump for the Presidency Andy Dehnart April 22, 2011

On TV, Trump headlines The apprentice, but on the telephone with me he sounded like he was considering a presidential run.
Trump to McCain: ‘You’re Hired!’ Meghan McCain April 20, 2011

ANSWER: —Scooter Libby, chief of staff to Dick Cheney, The apprentice, 2005.
Ralph Nader, Novelist Samuel P. Jacobs September 11, 2009

Cocker, for his part, worked briefly as an apprentice gasfitter but decided to take the plunge into the world of commercial music.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker Ted Gioia December 22, 2014

Historical Examples

Arkwright invented the spinning machines, while a barber’s apprentice.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, No. 365 Various

His son William has been with me this winter, and goes in May to be an apprentice to a mason.
The Letters of Robert Burns Robert Burns

The master told him to “go on Morsing,” and, when he received any information, to send the apprentice down to him with it.
Loss of the Steamship ‘Titanic’ British Government

I understood, Marzak, that thou art sailing with us as apprentice.
The Sea-Hawk Raphael Sabatini

All this he could accomplish while earning his daily wages as an apprentice or a common laborer.
One Way Out William Carleton

noun
someone who works for a skilled or qualified person in order to learn a trade or profession, esp for a recognized period
any beginner or novice
verb
(transitive) to take, place, or bind as an apprentice
n.

c.1300, from Old French aprentiz “someone learning” (13c., Modern French apprenti, taking the older form as a plural), also as an adjective, “unskilled, inexperienced,” from aprendre (Modern French apprendre) “to learn; to teach,” contracted from Latin apprehendere (see apprehend). Shortened form prentice long was more usual in English.
v.

1630s, from apprentice (n.). Related: Apprenticed; apprenticing.