wrote:
On Wednesday, 4 December 2019 18:03:51 UTC, ARW wrote:
This year we have 2 third year apprentices. Neither of them can fit a
back box straight, wire up a two way lightswitch etc etc.

Could I suggest that being able to wire up a two way lightswitch should
be an *entry criterion* to being an electrical apprentice?

Fairly sure I could have done it at 16.

In fact I was probably doing it about 8, with a battery and paperclips
and brass paper fasteners for switches :-)

If someone hasn't got to that stage by 16, where is the evidence of their
interest and ability?

Owain

Admittedly my back boxes aren't always straight, but I blame the bricks...



That kind of €˜tinkering by children is pretty well a thing of the past.

Toys like Mecanno, the various electronic assembly toys, books which
encouraged youngsters to experiment with basic science etc, are no longer
popular.

Like you, I was tinkering with basic electrical things at 8 or so, I went
on to gain an engineering degree, and worked in industry.

Now too many youngsters want to be €˜celebrities.

Without wishing to be racist etc, back in the 80s I was working in a
developing country on some military equipment along side some Americans.
Some local Army person were assigned to help us. One of the Americans made
some disparaging comments about the technical skills of his local
assistants while we were having dinner one evening. As one of his
colleagues pointed out, the soldiers had probably never had even a bicycle
as a child let alone worked on anything as complicated as the kit they now
were faced with. By not ensuring our children explore basic technology etc
we are placing them in the same position. Playing computer games / having
the latest mobile phone isnt basic technology.