In informal apprenticeship, learning occurs through practice with members of a community of practice. While this hands-on learning equips informal apprentices with the practical skills needed for work, it falls short of providing them with all the knowledge that they need to solve complex problems on the job and keep up with technological changes in their industry. This is due to the absence of theoretical instruction in the training and difficulties accessing external opportunities provided by formal educational institutions to acquire theoretical knowledge. Informal apprentices value opportunities to acquire more knowledge about their trade to complement the practical knowledge and skills they acquire in the workshop. However, very little is reported about the sources of knowledge acquisition among informal apprentices. In this paper, findings will be reported from a small study about the sources of knowledge acquisition among informal apprentices in the automotive trade in Ghana, the barriers encountered and the implications these have for promoting equitable lifelong learning opportunities for all in skills training in the informal economy. The findings of the study point out that beyond learning through everyday work activities, some informal apprentices access online resources, particularly YouTube videos, to acquire the knowledge needed to diagnose and repair faulty vehicles. While this may not be used by most informal apprentices, there is the potential for the knowledge acquisition activities of the few who consult online resources to benefit the community of practice through the collaborative nature of learning in apprenticeship. It is argued that while online learning could help to bridge gaps in the knowledge of informal apprentices, the barriers to their full engagement with online resources, such as low literacy, limit results. © 2025 selection and editorial matter, Lesley Powell, Adam Cooper, Trent Brown and Simon McGrath; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.
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