In article ,
"ARW" writes:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:

What sort of interview or vetting do you do before you accept
them? What sort of qualifications do they need before they start?

Maths and English are normally a must.

They are all pretty much the same at interview. 16 years old and wishing
they were still in bed and that their Mother could take the interview for

If an early start is essential and something they often have trouble
with, you could at least do the interviews at the earliest start time.
That might weed out a few who can't get up that early.

What about something to weed out those without a clue and with no
interest. Even something simple such as forewarning them they will
be required to wire up a plug during the interview. A few will know
how to anyway - that's a good start, and the others will need to find
out how to before the interview - showing some ability to learn and
remember, some dexterity with simple tools, etc. (Probably need some
elastoplasts handy;-)

them. These are not the A* students you have to interview:-). You only find

Most of the people I have interviewed were not A*, and didn't get the
job. I haven't interviewed 16 year olds though, although I have had
even a 22 year old fail to show up, and when calling his home to find
out if there was some mix-up with the arrangements, his mum told me
he decided not to come (without bothering to let us know).

out what they are like when they start. The obvious rubbish can be spotted
and rejected at interview but generally you are looking at clones.

Remember the 35 year old apprentice? He passed all his exams but after a
year on the tools he was no better than when he started. He could not be
left on his own unless it was simple tasks and you were constantly covering
old ground eg if he had not wired a timed fan up for 2 months then you would
have to show him how to do it again.

So he was learning by rote, rather than understanding what he was doing.

And there those that have already done a year at college, they seem to be
the worst when it comes to work ethic.

--
Andrew Gabriel
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