"DerbyBorn" wrote in message
2.236...
wrote in
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On Tue, 10 Jun 2014 07:34:03 GMT, DerbyBorn
wrote:


(The RAF bod seemed not to have cottoned on that would not impress
teenagers whose trannies were in regular use for Radio Caroline.)

And todays Teenagers can see them on the Eurovision Song Contest.

G.Harman


Nowadays it is hard to impress any teenagers as they have little
interest in anything mechanical. They are more impressed by Apple
introduding a new colour for the iPad. They have little concept of the
struggle to make things work.
Less opportunity to take things apart partly to blame as well as not
so many mechanical things to observe. I can recall being fascinated by
the cogs on my Grans mangle,must have been about 3 years old and was
told "don't put your fingers on those"
An Auto washing machine is a bit boring in comparison .
There is hope though,My Nephew was steadily going along the flow of
the school system Secondary education sixth form college aim for
University without really knowing why. Some years ago I dumped all my
old stuff from our loft on him which included a train set and he got
an unfashionable interest in railways. Joined the junior section of
one of the preserved ones and found that metal work was more
interesting than shoveling coal and was taught by an experienced bloke
to cut, weld use a plasma cutter etc . This stood in him in good stead
when it was decided that hanging in to qualify for university was not
appropriate due to lack of interest so he applied for an engineering
apprenticeship instead.
Got offered a place on his first interview which is quite an
achievement now days. His " Hobby" with an ability to show work done
plus a reference from the railway was invaluable.
The interview was no pushover taking about 5 hours with team building
exercises,making a presentation ,solving problems and exhibiting
examples of ones work.

G.Harman



Very encouraging. I too was fascinated by a mangle. Eventually I got
interested in using gears and pulleys on my Meccano set and made a range
of daft devices.
Interviews. Any candidate who can express some enthusiasm for
something practical (rather than Xbox and football) is likely to become
a good trainee.


Is that playing football or watching football? There is a difference.

--
Adam