Aaaarrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

[Tiny Spark]

Sorry guys need to vent a little!!

Had 2 of those loosing the will to live days!

So Monday I get given this job to install 3x emergency lights off 2 existing supply's.
1 was just a case of breaking into existing 20mm galv tube and putting in a T box to come across the wall and round the corner before going through the bulk head into the E light next door.
The other 2 were a little more complex but shouldn't of taken more than the duration of the day (under normal circumstances)
So anyways I usually have 1 of 2 of the apprentices with me that we have had for over a year each, both good lads and know how to crack on and work with me.
Anyways some bright individual in their infinite wisdom has taken both my apprentices and moved them to other departments leaving me with a brand new lad.

Now I have never said this about any of the apprentices in the past but this lad is totally bloody useless!
I mean I am pulling my hair out with him, I honestly want to try and choke some common sense into him but alas it would just end up getting me sacked and doubt it would work.

Just to give to some examples:
Had him pulling cables through the tube as I was getting the last bit up, He shouts over hes struggling so I give him a fish tape and say there you go use that.
He reply's How? (Ok stupid but Innocent question maybe?) So I tell him and he then asks if he needs to take the tape off thats wrapped round it first.... (Nah theres no excuse for that one) So he shoves it down the tube eventually and I carry on, I look back around and hes taped the cables to the middle of the tape and trying to pull it through while the other end of the tape is coiled up in a mess at the next box!

By this time Ime practically banging my head off the nice new block wall!

Theres many many others as well from the last 2 days but ide be typing all evening.

He also has this habit as soon as he is finished (or rather THINKS he has finished) a task he disappears next door or somewhere else to go and play a game on his phone or get on Facebook or something!

I honestly cant seem him lasting long as my boss has noticed already that hes completely useless so either hes going to get sacked or ime going to strangle him with some adaptaflex ime not sure which will come first!

Oh and needless to say the job still aint done......
Hopefully tomorrow morning when I have calmed down a bit I may be able to get the drive to actually finish it!

Sorry for my rantings.... Need another beer......

 

[Darkwood]

He probably from the other department who got your lads cos they said he was useless lol

 

[Tiny Spark]

He probably from the other department who got your lads cos they said he was useless lol

It really wouldn't surprise me, We do tend to get the drop outs so to speak.
Normally by that I mean we get the good ones who like to actually work and get bored sitting around doing paper work etc as most of the other engineering departments are production or project based so the other departments say they are crap and give em to us.
Hell we had 6 in total last week that we have had varying from 1.5 years to 3 months.
I have no problem with moving the new guys around for the experience but the 2 older lads that we have had for the last year and a half I think we should keep.

Seen both today and they are tearing their hair out with boredom!

They cut our team back from 10 engineers and 1 apprentice few years ago to 2 engineers and currently 1 apprentice who is more of a hindrance than a help!

 

[Doomed]

My apprentice is now a faster worker then me

 

[Tiny Spark]

My apprentice is now a faster worker then me

Means you trained him well ide be happy with that
Besides we all slow down with age LOL

 

[lockhes]

we have 2 1 good but now hes been there a few months has turned into a gobby little sod

other is 1 a bosses lad and is bloody usless i asked him to put some lamps in these lights and make sure the lamps work before putting covers on as the box lamps came in was a bit battered. i left him to it came back and all covers where on thought great hes got on well, switch lights on no lamps came on asked why they dont work he tells me because theres no lamps in.
i nearly hit him there and then i swore at him alot and walked off while the plumber and joiner where ****ing themselfs i was not happy and it was a friday as well.

 

[Tiny Spark]

we have 2 1 good but now hes been there a few months has turned into a gobby little sod

other is 1 a bosses lad and is bloody usless i asked him to put some lamps in these lights and make sure the lamps work before putting covers on as the box lamps came in was a bit battered. i left him to it came back and all covers where on thought great hes got on well, switch lights on no lamps came on asked why they dont work he tells me because theres no lamps in.
i nearly hit him there and then i swore at him alot and walked off while the plumber and joiner where ****ing themselfs i was not happy and it was a friday as well.

Want a trade? LOL

So anyone else had a terrible apprentice?

 

[lockhes]

lol i dunno which ones worse

inthink we should just work alone lol

 

[Tiny Spark]

I ended up getting more done by myself when he was on his wonders.
Only trouble being I ended up sweating my nads off and pulling a few muscles trying to hold up a long length of tube while trying to get a running coupler on it.

 

[Marvo]

Hmmm, I've had over a dozen apprentices over the years but I've never had much luck with them so I've given up training apprentices a few years ago.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Ive had about 3 full timers and been responsible for about 10 part timers.
Had ups and downs with all of them but generally found after a few months they all became pretty good partners and were more than capable.
Think its just finding someone who is willing to learn and has the ability to think for themselves which seems to be the biggest challenge.
Dont let a few bad eggs put you off marvo, theres plenty of good kids out there that just need a chance.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Ah well update for today...
He defo aint cut out for maintenance lol
Hes a coloured lad (am i allowed to say that!?)
And he came in this morning looking a little pasty.
Anyways he told me yesterday hes going out for his mates 18th last night.
So i says dont get to drunk we have a busy day tomorrow.
So yeah he comes in this morning looking rough yeah weve all done it so I give him a glass of water sit him on the stairs and tell him to wire up a click plug.
Next thing I know he comes to me looking very sorry for himself and says "ive been sick"

Yeah bloody lovely all over the floor, staircase, ladders, cable the lot.

So I made him clean it all up and sent him home.

Should be a peaceful and productive day lol

 

[Guest111]

I had one,he was the bosses son and thought he could do as he liked,none of the other lads would say anything in case he got them sacked,personally I didn't care,He had this idea that it wasn't an apprentices job to fetch stuff from the van,not his job to clip cables,or chop out for boxes or drill joists etc, you know the type of things apprentices normally do in the early stages,and as for going for dinner well forget it.Anyway after about a week I 've had enough so I take the direct approach and grab the boss.I told him his lad was a pain and I didn't care if he was the bosses son,if he wasn't going to play the game he could sod off, the other lads may be frightened but I wasn't The boss went purple and informed me that under no circumstances was his son to be treated any different to the other apprentices, I left the office and he called his son in,we could hear the shouting from the yard.The following day when I went in work I had to take an apprentice out again,he was the same lad but very different,in the end he turned out a good spark.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Ha boss's son seems to be a recurring problem.
Our bosses son works for the company also though thankfully not with us.
However he is not a apprentice.
He is a Trainee Engineer.
Dont ask me what one of them is as I dont have a bloody clue.
One thing ime sure of though is if he ever comes to work with me he shall be referred to as "the boy" and treated the same as any other apprentice until he becomes a engineer or a technician.
Trainee engineers dont exist as far as ime concerned.