Apprenticeships for School leavers

[fuzzy]

How may of you are consdiering taking an apprentice on this summer. Just wondering how many new apprenticeships will be starting this year compared with other years. Do you always take 1 on? Take one every 4 years? Never take one?

How many school leavers have a realistc chance of an apprenticeship do we think?

 

[beckykidz]

A thought here. My college which I did 6129 with last year (at the age of 43) is cutting back next year and will only take students who are apprentices next year. All us oldies out!

 

[justlead1]

It's not the easiest thing to do, but should be. Training has become an industry and even if grants etc were available to help fund such, companies are formed simple to get access to the money. The apprentice is secondary in there aim. As a result it is difficult for one man bands to provide the training as the bureaucracy surrounding it adds both time and expenses, that is some cases out weigh the benefits to a would be employer.

 

[arfurdaley]

The firm I work for does mainly Commercial stuff, with some Domestic, we've got 20 Fitters/Engineers on the books and two apprentices (Pipefitters/Welders). With the state of the economy I fear things will revert back to the 80's when apprenticeships were hard to come by.

😡

 

[justlead1]

I think you are right Arfur. Getting a degree is the quest of 51 percent of teenagers now. Funded by parents,student loans and goverment (parents get greater pleasure telling any one who will listen that their nippers are doing a degree, as apposed to being a plumber) However unless gained from Oxford or Cambridge a well paid career is not certain. A trainee that started at 18 with a couple of "A" levels earned 46k gross last year in our trade, he's now 24. Pals of his (3) who elected to go the university route. Are struggling with debt and earning small salaries, in call centres. One is locating leaks for a water company with a listening stick. Unless we can encourage some of these people to enter our trade, we will be left with the 49 percent of which half would have difficulty getting out of bed.

 

[fuzzy]

A thought here. My college which I did 6129 with last year (at the age of 43) is cutting back next year and will only take students who are apprentices next year. All us oldies out!

The college isnt cutting back mate, the goverment are, fudning cuts for all adults on non essential courses. Plumbing is non essential now we have trained over 50,000 over the last few years. We shouldnt blame the colleges. The trade would not have its funding cut if it were not deemed non essential. WE wouldnt be non essential if we hadnt over trained. If colleges had been left alone to provide tradesmen for the country there would have been a steady streem, not the boom and bust we are now feeling the consequences of

The firm I work for does mainly Commercial stuff, with some Domestic, we've got 20 Fitters/Engineers on the books and two apprentices (Pipefitters/Welders). With the state of the economy I fear things will revert back to the 80's when apprenticeships were hard to come by.

😡

2 apprentices per 20 staff. So 10percent, i hope all employers do there bit and take on as many apprentices as they can, that way we get fully trained plumbers for the industry, especially now we cannot train adults unless full cost and with employment

 

[celticbhoy]

Quick question, What do plumbing companies look for when takin on apprentices ? Is there anything specific ?

 

[fuzzy]

Quick question, What do plumbing companies look for when takin on apprentices ? Is there anything specific ?

let me spin it round. if you had your own company, built up a client base, tried to remain solvent, earn money, keep employees happy and wanted a school leaver to join that team, what would you expect from them?

 

[celticbhoy]

let me spin it round. if you had your own company, built up a client base, tried to remain solvent, earn money, keep employees happy and wanted a school leaver to join that team, what would you expect from them?

I get what you mean. But how important are the likes of school grades?
Also, when deciding who to take on board, how do they know if a person is reliable or not? The only thing they can really tell is qualifications is it not?

 

[justlead1]

If recruiting trainees to the trade you will get lots of applications. The first stage being, sorting out the most suitable via the paperwork completed by applicants. Any passion, enthusiasm and ambition is difficult to detect at this stage and qualification grades are a simple way of making a list for those worth an interview. Coming from an estate, i have backed a few 33to1 shots over the years. It saddens me to say, but as with dogs winners at these odds are hard to find. Resulting in loses all round.

 

[fuzzy]

qualifications is one aspect
enthusiasm, dedication, research knowledge, other skills, leadership qualities. i see so many young people who have no idea of life, the ons who stand apart have additioanl info on their cv, school prefect, football captian, plays cricket, paper round, worked with dads mate on site, done my own jobs at home, already have a tool kit, duke of Edinbrough awards etc etc etcwhy would they pick you and not someone else if you only put down school quals? ask yourself that

Anyone on here going to take an apprentice on?