in defence of the time served spark

[MDJ]

We are getting a lot of stick from short course guys at the moment telling us we are miserable old gits and part of an old boys club. I would like to apologise for taking 4 and a half years to become an electrician on block release at college and with on site training, to add also with a further 2 years under supervision to get approved status which then meant we could work alone. I appreciate times have changed and we are out of date and past it, taking 6 and a half years to get approved which is possible in 5 weeks today seems a little silly I know, we are living in yesterday years, we only know about things that today would not be seen much due to the invention of twin and earth and part pee building control regs and apologies again to the short course takers. We are not a bad bunch even if our old city and guild qualifcations are considered to be laughable in todays high tech exam courses. It wasn't our fault the Achievment mesurement and city and guilds were around back then, apologies for being out of date and out of touch, we may be past it but we did have it once and may still be able to work on Domestic properties today with further training.

Profound apologies from us the older generation who didn't do Modern short courses .

 

[Gavin A]

how many on this thread with their own businesses have got apprentices on the books then?

We've got one at the moment, thinking about maybe taking a couple more on this summer (one heating, one more electrical maybe).

quit complaining and do something about it if you have the ability to IMO - we had a £1500 cheque through the other day as our payment for taking this apprentice on, which helps.

 

[Guest111]

And with the benefit of a free vasectomy if you stand in front of the beam.

Used to work with satellite dishes anything up to 3m diameter and (I think) 50W transmit power. Every so often you'd see a pigeon land on the LNB arm at front and centre of the dish, sit there quietly for a minute and then, very slowly, fall over.

I knew a bloke years ago who put a microwave transmitter in every room of his house,they were only small but very powerful,they were linked to his alarm so if it went off they powered up,his thought being"if some sod robs my house lets see who's laughing later when his dangly bits drop off". Absolutely brilliant I thought. lol

 

[ipf]

how many on this thread with their own businesses have got apprentices on the books then?

We've got one at the moment, thinking about maybe taking a couple more on this summer (one heating, one more electrical maybe).

quit complaining and do something about it if you have the ability to IMO - we had a £1500 cheque through the other day as our payment for taking this apprentice on, which helps.

Had our fair share of apprentices over the years, all paid for by the business...no freebies then. I'll wager the majority of time served self employed are in the same boat, too

 

[Engineer54]

didn`t have you down as a shopaholic eng...

I've bought a few bit and bob's on QVC and Ideal World over the years... lol!!
Aways up for interesting Gizmo's too... lol!!

 

[ipf]

I've bought a few bit and bob's on QVC and Ideal World over the years... lol!!
Aways up for interesting Gizmo's too... lol!!

the all singing, all dancing bog next....now that would make an apprenticeship easy.:25:

 

[2na]

how many on this thread with their own businesses have got apprentices on the books then?

We've got one at the moment, thinking about maybe taking a couple more on this summer (one heating, one more electrical maybe).

quit complaining and do something about it if you have the ability to IMO - we had a £1500 cheque through the other day as our payment for taking this apprentice on, which helps.

I have an apprentice finishing in November, and a new starting in August. We can either be part of the problem or part of the solution.

 

[NickD]

I've got a 3.4m dish in my back garden to pick up the UK's SKY system. ... lol!!

And Ken Hom is wondering where his big wok has gone.

 

[MDJ]

Surely no one is simple minded enough to think all time served electricians are brilliant and all short course electricians are rubbish?

Just thinking back and coming up with a rough figure I reckon 20% of the time served blokes I have worked with or seen working have been poor at best. Of that 20% some have been downright dangerous, one to the point where he was thrown off site. All of them had a JIB card to wave about too.

I guess it all comes down to people, some are conscientious, some don't give a ----.

I know you and maybe 90% of the forum here won't believe me but I can assure you what I am saying next is the whole truth. I know of one spark, a 1950s generation who would stand on a thick rubber mat and actually hold a busbar with his hands to feel how hot it was, he would do this on all three phases and then say which one was overloaded, you can all fall about laughing by all means but it is the truth and I have seen things just as crazy as well, based on this your right, there are some dangerous old timers about lmao.

 

[NickD]

I know you and maybe 90% of the forum here won't believe me but I can assure you what I am saying next is the whole truth. I know of one spark, a 1950s generation who would stand on a thick rubber mat and actually hold a busbar with his hands to feel how hot it was, he would do this on all three phases and then say which one was overloaded, you can all fall about laughing by all means but it is the truth and I have seen things just as crazy as well, based on this your right, there are some dangerous old timers about lmao.

I heard about this guy who crawled under a set of 33kV busbars in the dark to see which one was glowing.

 

[Rob Smith 643]

When i left school I had a good choice of apprenticeships to apply for in my area, Redifussion, Lecy board, Coles Cranes, Reyroles to name a few I wonder how many take on in the north east now?

Like this one. When I left school in '78. I applied to 30+ local firms including shipbuilding and NCB (nepotism and no chance). I had a choice of two and was very happy with that. My apprenticeship was for four years and did a further year to gain higher level Tech Certificates. Even within those five years of being on various types of installation backed up by study there was no way that I came anywhere near to knowing everything and learned much more over the next few years as a 'made man'. Felt like a good system at the time...

 

[mayfair]

I think your right m8 my Dad worked for them for 26 years and had lots to do with the development of the wired TV I worked at Felling branch for 3 years before i changed courses.

Really??!!

I thought they missed a golden opportunity when cable tv/telephone/internet came along.

I mean; Redifusion had most of the north east already wired for radio & tv and it would have just been a matter of upgrading what they already had to give them what the likes of Virgin Mediocre have now.

 

[Engineer54]

Like this one. When I left school in '78. I applied to 30+ local firms including shipbuilding and NCB (nepotism and no chance). I had a choice of two and was very happy with that. My apprenticeship was for four years and did a further year to gain higher level Tech Certificates. Even within those five years of being on various types of installation backed up by study there was no way that I came anywhere near to knowing everything and learned much more over the next few years as a 'made man'. Felt like a good system at the time...

It's a tried, tested and proven method and is the standard means of learning a trade throughout the civilised world!! No idea about these day's, but in my time when you had finished your apprenticeship you were seen as competent to enter any sector of our industry. Only some areas of the industrial industry would you need additional training. Unfortunately, these day's training seems to be focused/based around the domestic sector (the lowest denominator), and probably why they need to go through NVQ 3 etc. Not that i put too much faith in those things, from what i can see, the proof required, can be too easily fabricated....

 

[ian.settle1]

It's a tried, tested and proven method and is the standard means of learning a trade throughout the civilised world!! No idea about these day's, but in my time when you had finished your apprenticeship you were seen as competent to enter any sector of our industry. Only some areas of the industrial industry would you need additional training. Unfortunately, these day's training seems to be focused/based around the domestic sector (the lowest denominator), and probably why they need to go through NVQ 3 etc. Not that i put too much faith in those things, from what i can see, the proof required, can be too easily fabricated....

Or you get the lazy buggers who come on here asking for the proof without even doing the work

 

[Bobster]

I know you and maybe 90% of the forum here won't believe me but I can assure you what I am saying next is the whole truth. I know of one spark, a 1950s generation who would stand on a thick rubber mat and actually hold a busbar with his hands to feel how hot it was, he would do this on all three phases and then say which one was overloaded, you can all fall about laughing by all means but it is the truth and I have seen things just as crazy as well, based on this your right, there are some dangerous old timers about lmao.

I've stood on rubber matting and drilled live bus bars. There were a few other measures in place mind.

Edit: I should point out I'm not from the 50s!

 

[Engineer54]

Snap!! lol!! The H&S fairies of today would probably have a heart attack and die of it!! It was pretty much common practice in industry then. If a job needed doing it got done, and that was the end of it!!