The change in apprentice quality from when I started to now is night and day

When I got my ticket 15 years ago, the new guys could at least run pipe and pull wire without constant hand holding. Last year, I had a kid who didn't know how to use a tape measure properly. He cost me half a day on a simple 50-foot run because he kept messing up the math. I think the trade schools are pushing them through too fast without the basics. What's the best way you've found to train a green apprentice on simple layout work?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.iris1d ago

Ever tried explaining fractions with a pizza? (I still eat the teaching aids).

logan_young291d ago

Wait, he didn't know how to use a tape measure?

anthony1291d ago

You think everyone just magically knows how to read a tape? Some people never had a parent show them that stuff. It's not like they teach it in regular school. So yeah, a grown adult might have never needed to use one before. It's not about being dumb, it's about never learning a basic skill. We all have gaps like that somewhere.