Dave Plowman (News) wrote
harryagain wrote
wrote
Dave Plowman (News) wrote

Given the hassles you seem to be constantly having with apprentices,
I do wonder what the selection process is like? I'd have thought you'd
get the pick of the bunch to learn a trade like this properly?

Snag is any board or whatever sifting through applicants does
need to understand the qualities needed for this sort of job -
and it's not just having reasonable academic qualifications.

Often there's no board, little in the way of formal interviewing,
and no academic quals sought. You're keen to do this, lets give
you a try. You can ask 1000 questions, but the only real question
is are you willing to do & learn, and not an uncoordinated
workplace hazard, and the easiest way to find out is by trial.

Lots of basic questions you can ask a school
leaver to get an idea of their personality, etc.

Trouble is that even when you have a lot to do with them
over years, it isn't always clear what they will be like as an
apprentice, let alone with just asking basic questions.

Couple of my neighbour's kids that I have had a hell of
a lot to do with over the years and still do now that they
have their own kids turned out to be complete duds as
apprentices. The worst of them is now completely
unemployable and chooses to not work at all, is a full
time druggy and has spent quite a bit of time in jail
for non drug offences. It wasn’t at all clear at the time
that he was first applying for apprenticeships that he
would end up like that. He's now got a tattoo quite
literally over half his face, presumably so he can
claim that no one will offer him a job so he can
just bludge off the dole and his inheritance for
the rest of his 'life'. It will be fascinating to watch
how his kids that I still have a lot to do with end up.

But it does need those interviewing
to know what they're doing too.

There's not much you can ask a would be trade apprentice.
Apart from academic qualifications, I think if you can find
one that has hobbies other playing computer games then
that's a atart. Practical tool using ones.

I'd ask if the potential apprentice knew the colours in a mains flex.

Problem with that approach is that there are going to be quite a few
who don’t know that who can be instructed on that quite adequately
and who don’t know that because the school system is ****ed on
stuff like that and their parents don’t know anything about it or there
is no father and no one like Adam that can replace the missing one
as he has with his defacto's.

And what they meant. I'd also ask about Ohm's Law -
given they would have been taught that at school.

But again, just because a particular school has ****ed up
doing that adequately doesn’t prove much about the kid.

If neither brought a response from the canditate
it is fairly obvious they have little interest in what
they've apparently chosen as a career.

But its possible that they would be fine with someone
like Adam pointing them in the right direction and
booting them in the arse when they **** up too badly.

And check out the personality/ability to relate to other people.

Quite - and work ethic.

Very difficult to get much of a handle on that without
actually giving them a try and give the bums the bums
rush when they turn out to be bums tho.

You've really gotta see how they do when its ****ing
down and the job has to be finished today anyway.

As has been said something like a paper round
or other part time work while at school shows an
ability to get up in the morning and earn money.

Sure, but the problem is that there aren't
that many jobs like that for kids anymore.

Whether they flipped burgers and got a
good report from the head burger flipper
doesn’t say much about how useful they
would be as an electrical apprentice.