Being an Apprentice.

When I left school I did not fancy going to college and university. No, for me it was going to be, get out into the big wide world.
My dad suggested I did an " Indentured Appreticeship " Well I didn't really know what that meant but they told me that I would learn all about refrigration and go out with engineers in a van and that sounded like fun. Even now, if it's not fun I don't want to do it.
I had to go for an interview, which I got through. It was explained to me that I would have to work hard, learn the job, go to college and do as I was told. For all this I would become a refrigeration engineer and would get £ 7.00 a week. Well that seemed OK, it wasn't a lot of money but I would survive because I was still living at home.
They seemed to take signing the apprenticeship document very seriously. My dad had to sign it, my service manager had to sign it and even his boss the depot manager was on the document. O yes, I had to sign it to. My mum wasn't too happy about me being a refrigeration engineer, she wanted me to do better things but I took no notice of her.
I went to college one day per week and the rest of the time I was with an engineer learning about servicing maintaining and installing refrigeration equipment. At first I wasn't a lot of use. I had to learn what all the tools were called and about all the bits in a refrigeration system. I got it in the end and was given some maintenance to do on my own. " Clean it and check it over for leaks " is what they would say to me " don't take anything to pieces or mess about with the controls or you will be in trouble " Well I didn't want any more trouble, I got into enough of that when I was at school, so I just did what I was told and informed the engineer if I found a leak.
After two years I was told how to diagnose faults and learn't how to braze with a turbo torch.
By the end of my third year they thought I had learn't enough to have a van and do a few service calls on my own. The paper work was hard but the job was a good laugh. They sent me out in the morning with a few service calls and off I would go. They never new exactly where I was so I had to phone in lunch time and say how I was getting on.
Having the van was great, you got a fuel card and as long as you covered your mileage I could go where I liked.
At the end of the fourth year I was considered qualified and I got a fairly big pay rise to the level of junior engineer. Then if I wanted to, I could join another company as a qualified engineer on full pay.
What do you think of Apprenticeships ? Are they a good way forward for a young person to learn a trade or just cheap labour for the employer ?

Re: Being an Apprentice.

My view is that it's a good thing. Not cheap labour at all, you're not a great deal of use to an employer while you're being trained.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

If done properly they are brilliant.

However we have a couple of schools in the town where the pupils take vocational courses and have to do work experience. They are used as free labour most of the year, many small shops will have one full time staff member and 3 or 4 of these teenagers who shrug their shoulders at you if you ask for anything and spend the whole time doing all the menial jobs the paid staff can think of leaving them free to do the important stuff.

It also means because the shop or business is fully staffed no paid jobs are available and unemployment is rife.

Ive nothing against them but they need more control and a trip back in time to when they were taken seriously both by student and employer.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

You were lucky Bob, sounds like you landed an introduction to the world of work where you could chill out.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

My eldest nephew chose the army after 3 failed apprenticeships, sadly they were after cheap labour and were not teaching him anything. However my youngest nephew is currently doing very well and will hopefully at end of the year be a fully fledged gas installer.
Cannot speak more highly of British gas, they are being fantastic with him and even allowing him time off to go to his basketball events, hoping to make it to the next summer Olympics !

Re: Being an Apprentice.

I talked to my son about getting an apprentership a few year ago but he didn't want to do it cause the low hourly rate .£3.50 is daft ,any job you have to be trained on but you get the minimum wage of £6+ and a little less for school leavers .
I think its cheap labour . On the subject of school work experience it can be good as well as bad ,When my daughter was that age ,she was sent to a school to help ,the job they gave her was clearing and tiding the Stock cupboard/broom cupboard which was so demoralising ..
How ever my Sons work experience was the total oposite he worked in a Cycle shop and repaired Cycles he was given and made to feel proud of the work he had done .

Re: Being an Apprentice.

One of the differences between Britain and Australia is the respect shown to tradesmen. Here someone with a trade is accorded a lot of respect whereas in the UK they seem to be somewhat looked down upon (speaking very generally) as typified by the Tradesman's Entrance round the back or, as my Grandmother would say, "Oh, he's in trade"

In the Australian work place tradesmen are the kings of the hill whether it be a plumber, metal worker, electronics technician, fitter or the creme de la creme - the electrician.

Apprenticeships are much sought after and for example it is illegal for a non tradesman to fix your roof or your house wiring.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

Right lad I want a left handed hammer,a bucket of steam and then go for the long weight(wait).

They were wonderful at best but did need reforming.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

I think Apprenticeships are a good thing, not everyone is academically able some people are more practical and benifit from learning a trade.

Re: Being an Apprentice.

I think the best thing I could have done with my early years was get my apprenticeship. I didn't like school at all and left with no qualifications at all at the age of 14. I spent many a Saturday going to Jumble Sales and buying old Bakelite radios to fiddle with. I only ever wanted to be a radio/television engineer. In those days..1954..jobs were comparatively easy to find and so within a few weeks of leaving school I got my apprenticeship with a local television shop in Croydon with a huge weekly income of £2 and10s ! Five years of night school and day release later and I was fully qualified. That was almost half a century ago. No I would'nt have changed a thing.