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Did You Take An Apprenticeship


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Just realised that I'm coming upto my 50 years anniversary, since I started my apprenticeship, At the tender age of 16 years and two months.

I had a choice of three either Plumbing,  Mechanical, Agricultural and Electrical Engineering or as a Master Thatcher with my Great uncle in depest darkest Suffolk.

But at 16 i didn't fancy living away from home . Idiot like I was in those days I chose the middle one.

Seeing what Plumbers and Thatchers rates are nowadays i was that idiot. Anyway it stood me well for most of my working life. even now I still keep the hand in,

repairing bits and pieces. Last weekend my pressure washer stopped being a pressure washer more of a  stream washer. All stripped O rings replaced new

oil and back together in 3 /4 of an hour.

In my time I have repaired everything from a hand push mower to a 40 tonne truck. I've driven everything from a ride on mower to a 40 tonne truck by way of Steam

Traction engine,. Road roller, Bare coach chassis at the height of the Falklands, when they were needed to be made into busses for troop movements and some of

the most exotic cars in the world (none of them mine I hasten to add) Also at the age of thirteen The Flying Scotsman. I have driven most of the continent. Working

a driver for Ford motor company. Met so many interesting people, celebs and royals on the way.

I was thinking I wouldn't mind a quid for every nut, bolt, screw of electrical terminal unscrewed and tightened or replaced I'd be worth a fortune.

Talking of fortunes, it is also 47 years ago about that I started buying Snap on tools. Originally quoted as having a 25 year guarantee and we all thought oh yeah.

But I must say I still have  most of it (Losses due to light fingered B*s*ards mostly) But was doing something on next doors motorhome last year and cracked my

first socket. Only tool of theirs that has broken (apart from pin puches but they are classed as consumables, even the hickory handle on my ball pein hammer is original). 

So the 25 year guarantee lasted for 46. I thought that they were expensive when I bought them, but I reckon I would have bought three of any other make.

Looking back on my working life would I change anything No I had a Bl00dy good time in all of it and the answer is NO. I think that apprenticeships of five years should

be brought back. This country used to have a plethora of skilled people (not just the parts fitters of today who couldnt repair a childs bike  unless they replaced the parts)

All of these trades will die out if no one is trained properly.

 

 

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I do agree with you,I did not do a Apprenticeship,instead did two years full time college.This did me well then I worked in Hotels as a Chef for  three years.Then we learnt the basics.Now I think two many are encouraged to go to University.Many should go onto Apprenticeships.Sadly many young Chefs now with little knowledge of the trade want to be Head Chefs.

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Sort of. I did the one year off the job training and then a three year sandwich course. Later I went back to full time paid  education as institute membership was closed to those having just an HND. 

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First job I  had, was 8 weeks training with the company, 8 weeks with a local training college, for two years. Only I got made redundant, even though I passed the first year, I had been sick for 2 weeks of the last block of training so had one of the lowest marks,  too many of us had passed, so they kicked some of us out......

The Second was with the RAF which wasn't Their 3 year Apprenticeship, as they had just stopped them, but about 14 months doing the same trade training in that time and a lot less "RAF" training.

 

Every company I've worked with since, don't really do any training, they depend on a lot of EX-military people having already got the right training. They are now finding real problems recruiting qualified people as the military is so much smaller and not putting out enough trained people..

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8 minutes ago, TheQ said:

First job I  had, was 8 weeks training with the company, 8 weeks with a local training college, for two years. Only I got made redundant, even though I passed the first year, I had been sick for 2 weeks of the last block of training so had one of the lowest marks,  too many of us had passed, so they kicked some of us out......

The Second was with the RAF which wasn't Their 3 year Apprenticeship, as they had just stopped them, but about 14 months doing the same trade training in that time and a lot less "RAF" training.

 

Every company I've worked with since, don't really do any training, they depend on a lot of EX-military people having already got the right training. They are now finding real problems recruiting qualified people as the military is so much smaller and not putting out enough trained people..

Very true, when the RAF cuts came a few years ago I grabbed as many as I could ex Halton and Naphill.

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7 hours ago, FairTmiddlin said:

Just realised that I'm coming upto my 50 years anniversary, since I started my apprenticeship, At the tender age of 16 years and two months.

I had a choice of three either Plumbing,  Mechanical, Agricultural and Electrical Engineering or as a Master Thatcher with my Great uncle in depest darkest Suffolk.

But at 16 i didn't fancy living away from home . Idiot like I was in those days I chose the middle one.

Seeing what Plumbers and Thatchers rates are nowadays i was that idiot. Anyway it stood me well for most of my working life. even now I still keep the hand in,

repairing bits and pieces. Last weekend my pressure washer stopped being a pressure washer more of a  stream washer. All stripped O rings replaced new

oil and back together in 3 /4 of an hour.

In my time I have repaired everything from a hand push mower to a 40 tonne truck. I've driven everything from a ride on mower to a 40 tonne truck by way of Steam

Traction engine,. Road roller, Bare coach chassis at the height of the Falklands, when they were needed to be made into busses for troop movements and some of

the most exotic cars in the world (none of them mine I hasten to add) Also at the age of thirteen The Flying Scotsman. I have driven most of the continent. Working

a driver for Ford motor company. Met so many interesting people, celebs and royals on the way.

I was thinking I wouldn't mind a quid for every nut, bolt, screw of electrical terminal unscrewed and tightened or replaced I'd be worth a fortune.

Talking of fortunes, it is also 47 years ago about that I started buying Snap on tools. Originally quoted as having a 25 year guarantee and we all thought oh yeah.

But I must say I still have  most of it (Losses due to light fingered B*s*ards mostly) But was doing something on next doors motorhome last year and cracked my

first socket. Only tool of theirs that has broken (apart from pin puches but they are classed as consumables, even the hickory handle on my ball pein hammer is original). 

So the 25 year guarantee lasted for 46. I thought that they were expensive when I bought them, but I reckon I would have bought three of any other make.

Looking back on my working life would I change anything No I had a Bl00dy good time in all of it and the answer is NO. I think that apprenticeships of five years should

be brought back. This country used to have a plethora of skilled people (not just the parts fitters of today who couldnt repair a childs bike  unless they replaced the parts)

All of these trades will die out if no one is trained properly.

 

 

Snap On used to have a slogan that went something like this; We'd rather explain the price just once than have to continually apologise for the quality.

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Not an apprenticeship as such, but I started in the drawing office at the bottom of the heap, worked my way right up to Drawing Office Manager (equivalent to a second engineer in the electricity supply industry as was) and have then dropped back to an engineering support role (all of the skills, none of the responsibility) my skill levels are such that I can out perform anyone else in the same role as myself, quite often the designers ask me for advice from my experience, but I am happy that I can keep up with the work levels and work stress free until my retirement.

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10 minutes ago, grendel said:

Not an apprenticeship as such, but I started in the drawing office at the bottom of the heap, worked my way right up to Drawing Office Manager (equivalent to a second engineer in the electricity supply industry as was) and have then dropped back to an engineering support role (all of the skills, none of the responsibility) my skill levels are such that I can out perform anyone else in the same role as myself, quite often the designers ask me for advice from my experience, but I am happy that I can keep up with the work levels and work stress free until my retirement.

Very wise, when I decided to call it a day my Swiss German employers asked me to stay on for one more FY. As our FY was typical continental 1/10 to 30/09, I actually worked nearly 11 months more. It was an offer I could not refuse, 4 day week, 4 hours a day, so 16 hour week on full pay. But it eased me into retirement very nicely.

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My brother took a much sought after apprenticeship and became a master carpet weaver, well, that was a short career as technology changed and high speed tufted carpet manufacturing took over.

Looking back, it's noteworthy how many of my friends who trained as teachers left the profession, I feel quite proud that I stuck it out and made a career, it was never a sinecure as I never ever worked in easy schools. Would I do it again? Probably not.

 

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I served my apprenticeship as a printer, made lots and lots of money, when they changed contracts to continental shifts.

I set up a new department (engineering) and took early retirement after 41 years aged 57 wish I had retired 40 years earlier.

The major drawback was all the money I made wasn't mine, I worked for a currency printer in the North of England, must have printed billions of banknotes in my time.

paul

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When I started work in the early 60’s I was offered an apprenticeship with  a  very large well known electronics company, which I did not take up and went for a traineeship at a local company that had electronic and mechanical contracts with the MOD.

As part of the traineeship I did five years at collage for one day and two nights a week.  It was really interesting work and after I qualified as a test engineer it gave me the opportunity to visit military installations and play with tanks and planes.  At 21 I made career switch in the same company into ‘Quality’ firstly as an electrical inspector and then head of department.

After being made redundant I took a short term job as a vehicle electrician with London Transport and ended up staying for 13 years until moving to the south coast and going back into Quality in various positions in various companies.

I have been with the current company in the marine industry for 16years and when I retired I was invited to remain on in a part time basis for two days week , this arrangement has proved mutually beneficial, they keep all my professional experience and  as I no longer have the full company responsibly I have far less stress.

Over the years I have also been involved in the setting up and running several small businesses from designing and supplying fault tracing equipment for regional electricity boards to restoring classic cars.

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I have been self employed now for over 38 years, a unpaid tax collector what with VAT and employee enforcement orders when we had employees.

I had an apprenticeship and did the years of one day a week at college with an additional night, did we learn much, not a lot but it gave you the relevant certificates. The company I worked at was very small so you had to be prepared to do all sorts of jobs including  welding, metal work and spraying as well as the electrical work. 

At 25 I left the industry to go into another field, because my boss would not pay the approved rate and of course with the company not being part of the JIB it in effect made me unemployable in the industry.

Regards

Alan

 

 

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I had no idea what I wanted to do after school but always wanted to work in a boatyard.  Left school at 15 due to a late June birthday, had 2 weeks off and started a YTS apprenticeship studying City & Guilds as a car mechanic .  As it was with Vauxhall they gave me an extra £5 per week more than the standard YTS !!

My boss wangled another £2.50 a week to cover bus fares to and from Watford Technical college - even though I cycled !  College was pretty good, they let us work on our own cars as long as it was relevant to the coursework ! 

Once my 3 year course was coming to an end I contacted a few boatyards on the Thames within driving distance of Bushey.  Bourne End Marina, Kris Cruisers and Aquamarine which was run by our very own Vaughan, long story short I worked at Kris Cruiser for 10 years.  Had a great time, learned lots of skills, met some great people and even turned Vaughan's lovely clean boatshed blue while repairing a fire damaged Seamaster 25.  The fact I knew one end of a boat from another gained me a job at Volvo Penta UK head office.  Still here now 16 years on carrying out various tasks from checking / placing orders to planning and organising boat shows.  We're a surprising small team so most of us are now multi skilled.

Some of you mention retirement, I've a few years to go yet but we'd ideally like to retire to Norfolk.  Warwick is a lovely place, much better than Bushey in my opinion but too far from the coast and the Broads.  

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I also had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school. Dad insisted I did an apprenticeship in something. 

Turns out it served me well, a lifetime skill, and we used to get paid well. The emergence of the Chinese put a spanner in the works.

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Not sure if this fits in here but here goes.  I finished senior school (Stockport) in 1970 with 4 "A" levels (Maths, Physics, Chemistry & "General Studies").  Best was a "B" in Maths.  Until 6 months before leaving I didn't really know what to do until my father (a University lecturer in Chemistry (Crystallography)) suggested "How about Computer Science - & I've got a PDP-8 in my lab you can try out".

This was fun & I was soon programming the thing in machine code.  Filling out the forms I put Computer Science at Manchester as number 1 on my list & got invited to an interview with Prof Frank Sumner - a Giant of a man.  What I didn't know was that he was a pal of my father's & had been primed to put me off staying at school for a 3rd year in 6th form.

Anyhow I got my B.Sc & stayed on for an M.Sc which took longer than planned.  With my research topic falling apart I looked around for a job & got one as "Computer Programmer" with the Physics department, High Energy Physics group.  After a couple of years we got involved with the JADE experiment at DESY in Hamburg; I commuted for several years until in 1982 a German colleague got killed in vacation by falling into the crater of Stromboli & I was the only one who knew what his software did.  Thus I moved out to Hamburg area "for a year" & have been here ever since.  I'd already started to learn to fly (which was the real reason I was willing to move out) & a couple of years later bumped into a girl from the computer center at DESY who is now my wife.

I subsequently worked for a German software house for 11 years or so. In April 1998 I joined a global IT manufacturer staying just short of 20 years.  I just made it to "normal" retirement age here (65 1/2 for me) - the parting insult from the company was that they would have made me redundant one month later (experts in Europe were deemed to cost too much).

11 hours ago, ChrisB said:

But it eased me into retirement very nicely.

No such thing for me - I was working flat out until the evening of my last day.  At least I got my 6 days untaken vacation paid out.

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