I have a work experience lad later this week. Advice please!

[NDG Elecs]

Hi all,

I have posted in here because the lad who is with me later this week is possibly a member on here after I advised him to join. He is a first year 25yr old electrical student, but seems to have his head screwed on when I have spoke to him.

Anyways, he is watching (and hopefully helping) later this week on a board change and bonding install.

There is a rec isolator fitted which will be firmly locked off, not that I will let him too close to the action so to speak! But do I let him clamber over the roof trusses to run in the water bonding.....I have visions of making a call to my plasterer!!! Do I let him loose with the SDS....or my MFT....or let him fill in the EIC.....or do I mainly send him to get bacon butties and any heavy gear out of the van!!

I intend to let him get stuck in a bit, but will gauge it on the day I suppose. Will be good to pass on a little bit of knowledge to the young bucks.

Also should I throw him a bit of cash if he has been a diamond all day.... Questions questions....answers on a postcard please!!

 

[ruston]

Letting him in the loft might be a bit risky regarding your insurance , especially if he is not used to it and has had no training etc...

It really depends on his experience as to what you can let him do.
By all means pay him for his time.

 

[NDG Elecs]

I wasn't that bothered in terms of his foot going through the ceiling as that's easily fixed. But there could be dodgy wiring, exposed JBs up there...so he is definately not being allowed up there now!!

I'm a bit of a socialist on the quiet so will very likely throw him £30 or £40 if he has been relatively useful and not just a cardboard cutout all day!

 

[ruston]

I think for a first day I would just show him what I was doing and why regarding testing , safe isolation etc,
Then let him do the donkey work pulling the cable where he can do no harm.

 

[NDG Elecs]

Unfortunately there is only the bonding to install/upgrade and pull through. I just don't want him to feel like to much of a spare part as I stand there wiring in the CU for an hour etc. Though I plan to get both sets of steps out so he can see what's what a bit better. Hopefully he will be inquisitive and full of questions, so he doesn't get too bored!!

 

[Dave OCD]

He could help with the 'dead' parts of the testing too and note readings down for you, get him on with cutting the busbar if required and fitting the CU labels too, and of course tea making if customer's out/when power is available, I often rig up a temp RCD socket to 'keep the freezer running' but mention it'll be handy for the kettle too.

 

[NDG Elecs]

He could help with the 'dead' parts of the testing too and note readings down for you, get him on with cutting the busbar if required and fitting the CU labels too, and of course tea making if customer's out/when power is available, I often rig up a temp RCD socket to 'keep the freezer running' but mention it'll be handy for the kettle too.

Hager busbar's are snapable ones!! And I, like you I would imagine Dave, like to make sure the labels are nicely lined up and straight mate!

Bit of dead testing am happy to let him help with. And will probably let him fill in the forms and keep saving it every five minutes! Haha!

 

[Dave OCD]

Yeah they have to be nice and straight mate, my lad has that off to a tee now. I sometimes fit BG boards which have a pretty substantial busbar, cutting that keeps him occupied for a few minutes. Always a bonus if the customer has a bench with a vice in the garage. :smile5:

 

[ruston]

If you are not in a hurry ,you could let him have a go at dressing the board up to see how he goes. Well marked up of course lol.

 

[NDG Elecs]

If you are not in a hurry ,you could let him have a go at dressing the board up to see how he goes. Well marked up of course lol.

Got all day Thursday to do it. So no sweat on the time. Yeah, might let him dress in the last cable, certainly not the first one though mate!! As you say, well marked up first!!

 

[egg67]

Let him do the lot, just stand next to him and make sure he does it right, you will know in the first hour if he is up to it if he is not send him to the Shops for a long wait and a Bacon butty

 

[Pete999]

I wasn't that bothered in terms of his foot going through the ceiling as that's easily fixed. But there could be dodgy wiring, exposed JBs up there...so he is definately not being allowed up there now!!

I'm a bit of a socialist on the quiet so will very likely throw him £30 or £40 if he has been relatively useful and not just a cardboard cutout all day!

Don't know how the law stands but if you are employing him, the the national working wage will apply.

 

[telectrix]

i don't think the work experience idea requires him to be employed. if the guy is still in education, for example.

[h=2]Exemptions in national minimum wage legislation relevant to work experience[/h]Some people are not entitled to the NMW because there is a specific exemption in theNMW rules.
The exemptions relevant to work experience are:

• students working as a required part of a UK-based further or higher education course don’t qualify for the NMW if their placement with you or your organisation does not exceed one year. The exemption does not apply to students performing work that is not related to their course, eg to help finance their studies or during a gap year
• people undertaking work experience for you who are of compulsory school age are not entitled to the NMW. If someone is above compulsory school age but has stayed on in full or part-time education, they are entitled to the NMW unless they are undertaking a work placement with you as a required part of their studies
• participants in government schemes or programmes to provide training, work experience or temporary work, or to help in seeking or obtaining work
• participants in EU Lifelong Learning Programmes (Leonardo da Vinci, European Community Youth in Action, Erasmus or Comenius)
• voluntary workers in your organisation are exempt from the NMW if both the following apply:
  • you are a charity, voluntary organisation, associated fund-raising body or statutory body
  • you give them no monetary payments and only limited and specified expenses and benefits

 

[NDG Elecs]

Just a little update if anyone is interested.

The lad was alright, on the slow side, but a nice lad with plenty of questions. I am fairly certain I would have done all the work faster if I did it myself though!

It's easy to forget how slow people are at a job when they are not used to it. Took him around 10 mins to bang in approx 8 cable clips, but the cable was nice and straight though. Got him to help out with the dead testing and fill in the forms.

I asked him what he did as his job when not at college. He said in a warehouse in Washington.... For who I said.... Turns out he does the exact same job for the same company I did when I first moved up north! But he found my number off the internet rather than through this small company. I was amazed at how small the world can be sometimes.

I have invited him to shadow me at anytime and gave him some old text books also. He is a nice kid so am more than happy to help him learn properly. Might bite me on the arse in ten years time when he may be quoting against me, but I have hope he ain't that kind of lad. No fnar fnar!

 

[LankyWill]

My "Loft Training"?- Dont fall through it ****"