Apprentices

[Agile]

As for answering questions I have only been on this site 1 day so give me chance, and as for teaching youngsters to wipe their feet and as for basic respect, isn't that a parents job???????

" I work on the tools so im the best" yeah ok mate!!!

Well I am sorry that I made some wrong assumptions but you did not explain your situation at all, even calling yourself Collegeboy when thats not appropriate!

Yes, of course parents should teach basic manners and respect but very few do and many single mothers are more interested in their latest boyfriend than educating their children. I once met a third generation single mum all of whom had never worked and just spent their time looking nice and going out!

I had a rasta social tenant neighbour in the Midlands about 29 y.o. who had been unemployed for most of his life. He was forced on a gas course for the unemployed and it was amazing! He had a totally empty head and absorbed everything he was taught 100% and could answer ANY gas question correctly without hesitation.

The course was BG setup and every third lecture was on customer service! I did even consider taking him on for his practical training but he wanted £100 in cash a day and I was worried what my customers would think of his appearance!

He was soon evicted through non payment of rent so I lost touch with him. Such a pity that such a clever chap would not change his appearance or lifestyle.

Tony

 

[tonybhoy]

There seem to be many responses from people who basically say " why should I train someone who is just going to leave and set up on their own".
To this I ask, Who trained you and do you still work for THEM??????????

Small local firm of about seven tradesman with about six apprentices at any given time.

Boss was a past president of Snipef.

Every single apprentice was 'let go' when their time was out with the exception of one who left to work in a fishmongers

My time was out in 1980.

Sink or swim time too with loads of unemployment back then but it was different then too there were loads of small firms like the one I worked for now the industry is fragmented with lots of one man bands which were practically unheard of then,I blame thatcher

Anyway what is your point caller?

 

[holty]

the one thing weve all got to look at, is its easy saying weve got to earn a living and taking on someone or an apprentice will do this or that, but if it was for that attitude i would never be were i am now. someone gave me a chance and someone gave us all on this forum a chance, whos in the industry.

 

[tonybhoy]

Again Where did you train, Im sure you didnt wake up one morning and there you are a plumber, As to your mate taking an apprentice shouldnt have cost him a penny, other than what he wanted to pay the boy.
And I agree some people are not cut out to be plumbers, as is true of any job. eg how many apprentice footballers end up palying professional??? not many.

I'm only going by what my mate tells me and I believe him.

He is a spark(electrician) BTW not a plumber.

 

[tonybhoy]

the one thing weve all got to look at, is its easy saying weve got to earn a living and taking on someone or an apprentice will do this or that, but if it was for that attitude i would never be were i am now. someone gave me a chance and someone gave us all on this forum a chance, whos in the industry.

Absolutely! My boss was a decent man he gave loads of boys chances,me in particular,one boy was doing time for manslaughter when he was given an apprenticeship during it.He is now driving a taxi I believe.

But the bottom line is that one man bands simply can't take apprentices on effieciently.

Apprentices have to work with larger firms and there aren't that many of those relatively speaking in the trade these days.

Personally speaking I only really started learning the game when my time was out.Only decent thing I did during my apprenticeship was going to college.

Working with a tradesman was worse than hopeless all you really were was a glorified labourer whose main function in life was to carry the tools,get the tea and the fags and shut up

 

[collegeboy]

I agree that many youngsters have a real bad attitude, trust me to work with them can be very hard even dangerous. believe it or not we as college tutors get very little input as to who comes on a course, sad as this may be, and many people on here have stated that private trainers are better, but my experience of private trainers is that they are looking for results, they get payed for each person they pass, hence they are encouraged to pass as many as possible, regardless of the individuals skills. I have done some external verification for the city and guilds and trust me quality of training varies vastly throughout the south west, with some of the worst being the private trainers you see in the sunday papers, you know the ones that charge £5000-£6000 to get you qualified in 10 weeks, any plumber worth a sh**t knows you cant learn it in that short time.
Also I would just like to defend colleges as best as I can, please remember that we can only train to a certain degree, we are there for technical training and we rely on employers to train the practical skills, yes we do practical training but it can only ever be simulation, soldering on a bench is nothing like soldering under floor boards or in an attic space on a hot day with fibreglass all around. this is why people can only get a technical certificate in colleges, or any other training establishment, gain basic plumber status you need to get an NVQ now, which can only be done in the workplace. So dont blame us if the lads are no good on the tools, only you can train them in the real world.

 

[Softus]

I was worried what my customers would think of his appearance!

Kettle:

Pot:

 

[gas4you]

As to your mate taking an apprentice shouldnt have cost him a penny, other than what he wanted to pay the boy.

As a one man band, when I took on my apprentice my PL insurance nearly doubled

Then there is all the time taken for all the useless JTL paperwork they kept sending through.

 

[billy bob]

Again Where did you train, Im sure you didnt wake up one morning and there you are a plumber, As to your mate taking an apprentice shouldnt have cost him a penny, other than what he wanted to pay the boy.
And I agree some people are not cut out to be plumbers, as is true of any job. eg how many apprentice footballers end up palying professional??? not many.

I trained with a large Plumbing and Heating company,as a 16 year old, that is how it should be, large companies can absorb the cost of an apprentice, a one man band cannot, they cost you more than they can earn you, that is a no,no for the self employed, when I was an apprentice back in the 1980's, everyone in my college class was working for large companies, no one was working for a self employed plumber, also I did not have an attitude problem when I was training, I was not arrogant, I did not spend my time texting freinds, obviously mobiles were not so big at this time, and I knew my worth, pay was very low, but I knew the more I learnt, the more my pay would increase, apprentices nowadays expect to be paid a fortune, for doing nothing.

 

[collegeboy]

As to your mate taking an apprentice shouldnt have cost him a penny, other than what he wanted to pay the boy.

As a one man band, when I took on my apprentice my PL insurance nearly doubled

Then there is all the time taken for all the useless JTL paperwork they kept sending through.

See your point, yes your insurance will probably go up, as to paperwork, JTL are a private trainer, and as mentioned before are looking to satisfy shareholders. Most of the paper work on our side is completed by the assessor.

 

[Agile]

I was worried what my customers would think of his appearance!

Actually he was about 29 y.o. with long BLACK hair!

Nice picture of me here with a Glowworm CX30 and a very professional installers check shirt ( similar to the Eliteheat shirts! )

I think Softus got the kettle and the pot crossed over!

 

[corgiman]

There seem to be many responses from people who basically say " why should I train someone who is just going to leave and set up on their own".
To this I ask, Who trained you and do you still work for THEM??????????

Well I certainly did not.

I was an apprentice and believe you me if I didnt show up for work, or was surly during the day, backchat my guv I was in for the high jump, and on one memorable occasion telling him that he was an old man who could fight his way out of a paper bag and recieving the peachiest upper cut it has ever been my privilige to witness.

These days there is just no way of instilling any kind of discipline into these lads let alone any kind of work ethic.

As for retrainers only interested in lining their pockets, whats wrong with that? the quicker they learn the quicker than can earn. Thats one hell of an incentive to get on with the job.

 

[EliteHeat]

Nice picture of me here with a Glowworm CX30 and a very professional installers check shirt ( similar to the Eliteheat shirts! )

Aha, but that's not me. This is in fact Rob, a mature (very) student. I use jokey T-shirts from Vista Print. My current favourite is "Elite Heat - not responsible for most major mistakes" followed closely by "Elite Heat - you have to expect a few leaks now and then" I'm not too keen on the "Elite Heat - look you paid peanuts and this is the result" one though.

Anyway, note the way he confidently holds up the template, swoon with admiration as he wields the mighty DeWalt, almost faint with anticipation as the manometer stays on exactly 20Mb.

That's quality training that it

P.S. He later flooded the kitchen, but luckily it wasn't caught on camera.

 

[namsag]

Agile how is dangermouse these days you are the spit of penfold.

 

[Softus]

I think Softus got the kettle and the pot crossed over!

You have won 1st prize in the National Point Missing competition. Have a banana.