Apprentice is not a Dutch word. Not even close to a Dutch word. So before putting this into context, consider that a Dutch word was first translated into English, leading to the word Apprentice. Trying to translate this back into Dutch and then attaching meaning to it, without context, isn't going to help a lot.
Where did you find this quote? We may be able to find the original Dutch text and put it into perspective for you.
But my guess is that they would indeed mean "trainee", or at least somebody who was not fully qualified yet.