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This article is by staff writer Honey Smith.

Given that student loan debt in the U.S. tops $1.2 trillion and the average graduate owed over $30,000 in 2015, it's no surprise topics like how to start paying student loans are necessary.

However, if you're still in school or are still saving for college (or you have kids or grandkids in that category), there's an option for reducing or eliminating the amount of student loans you take out: apprenticeship programs.

What is an apprenticeship program?

The basic idea behind apprenticeships is that students/apprentices learn by doing. While apprenticeships used to be a very common way for people to train for a wide variety of professions, as higher education became ubiquitous, the apprenticeship model fell out of fashion.

However, both universities and employers are starting to recognize that practicing skills in a real-life setting reinforces classroom learning, makes students more employable upon graduation, and can reduce student indebtedness. #Win-win-win.

How do apprenticeship programs work?

There are two main types of apprenticeship programs:

Trade apprenticeships

Trade apprenticeships prepare you for careers for which a bachelor's degree is not required. Though they used to be the most common form of apprenticeship, they have become less popular in recent decades as society focused on higher education over careers in the trades and vocations.

Ironically, however, the promotion of college degrees by the government and institutions of higher education resulted in labor shortages in the trades. This has driven salaries up in many cases, since demand for those services has not been reduced.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship website, careers in a variety of fields rely on the trade apprenticeship model. Here is a list of such careers along with the mean annual wage as of 2012 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Auto mechanic – $36,610

Carpentry – $39,940

Construction – Wages depend on specialty, though they seem to range from $30,000 to $45,000. (Glaziers made $37,610, brick masons made $44,950, heavy-equipment operators made $40,980, and roofers made $35,290.)

Electrician – $49,840

HVAC installation, repair, and maintenance – $43,640

Pipe-fitting and plumbing – $49,140

Solar photovoltaic installation, repair, and maintenance – $37,900

Truck driving – $38,200

Though these salaries represent working professionals who have completed training programs and obtained any necessary certifications, the Department of Labor estimates that working apprentices in its Registered Apprenticeship program make $15/hour, on average, while being trained. That's $31,200 per year if you work full time.

While many such careers require physical strength and odd hours, pursuing a career in the trades while you are young (and as strong and resilient as you are likely to get) may help you save money for college. Then you can go to school and reinvent your career once you no longer find long hours of physical labor appealing.

(In March 2012, the state of Washington's Department of Labor & Industries guide reported that starting apprentices earned $17.59/hour plus benefits and pension. In addition, the guide states that "apprenticeship is a terrific route for any job seeker" and that "many adults in established careers make a switch to apprenticeship.")

Academic apprenticeships: Blending school and work

A second type of apprenticeship, and one that is becoming more common, is the blending of an apprenticeship requirement with a traditional degree program. These programs may take different forms:

Working full or part time while a student, and taking longer to complete the degree

Being a full-time student during the academic year and working as an apprentice during the summers

Your school/degree program might require you to complete an apprenticeship program (meaning you earn while in school and need fewer loans). Alternatively, your job might hire you without a degree or certification and pay some or all of the cost for you to obtain them (meaning your tuition is paid as a benefit of your employment).

In December 2014, the Obama administration outlined a plan to help post-secondary institutions incorporate apprenticeships into the student aid process. This plan specified that:

"If the apprenticeship is part of an academic program that participates in the Federal student aid programs, the institution may provide aid to an eligible student, including for the apprenticeship portion of the program.

"An institution may use its Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program funds to pay the training wages for otherwise eligible FWS students employed as apprentices,