where can i find an apprenticeship

[Alistair]

hi guys, im desperate to find an welding apprenticeship in derby/nottingham and it seems my age is against me (32) it seems all the 18 year olds get them... the last place i went to even admitted that they choose to give them to 18-25 year olds because they get a bonus from the goverment in doing so. any ideas????

 

[oilcooled :)]

do a few evening courses in arc an mig or watever your into then do a city and guilds exam in the processes and when ur at a certain level in that u shud get a job as a welder handy enough

 

[brightspark]

do a few evening courses in arc an mig or watever your into then do a city and guilds exam in the processes and when ur at a certain level in that u shud get a job as a welder handy enough

thing is is there work at the end of it .is there a shortage of welders in that aeria ? on teeside half of them on the nash

 

[oilcooled :)]

aw i know well and an apprentice is taken on abused and paid badly and when they finally qualify they will be given the gate if things are still bad :O

 

[brightspark]

aw i know well and an apprentice is taken on abused and paid badly and when they finally qualify they will be given the gate if things are still bad :O

i could employ someone thats been out of work 6 month dhhs will pay for them up 2 a year free and after that i dont have 2 employ them its s\\;;;it the only time it benefits anyone is experience and hopefully when better times arive laugh laugh job will be available .if u run sumone over and get prison they will pay and train u at college i had a lad for a year walked strait into a job thats justice 4 u

 

[Alistair]

i know that i will be tea boy for a few years and walk around with a brush! that really doesnt bother me, the wife and i have worked out we can even manage of next to nothing pay.. half of these youngsters will take advantage and leave at the end of there apprenticeship anyways where as i would be looking for stability and to be part of the workforce at the end... god knows!!! back to knocking out garden furniture from the garage with steel bought out my own pocket it is!!

 

[Bigjoe]

I would second going to college etc to get some training,as many good companies will be in contact with colleges and it can be a way in on work experience etc.

Good luck with the future.

Joe

 

[toddy]

well tbh a city and gilds mean nouthing what you need is an ace card(which is a nvq3) and for large construction sites collage will get you no where close to the standered.
but then if you are wantinf a job in a little fab shop doing simple welding it is all pot luck,

as ive got loads of welding qulifications and after about 1000 applications ive jus been given a weld test and an interview but then they have not asked anything about my qulifications due to every job you do u will need to be retested

what you may be better doing is trying to get an improvership (apprenticship for adults) and this some companys like due to they get loads of money for training you

 

[Alistair]

thanks guys, the advice is much appreciated.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Strange as it sounds go and see what the local jobcentre has to say I was told 30 years ago that at 30 yrs old I was too old to retrain as an electronic engineer.

I self taught myself the maths & theory needed to move on and got the old GCE O level maths under my belt.

It was five years later that I got on a government skillcentre one year long full time course and obtained C&G industrial electronics test and service mechanic as well as NVQ and the radio and television repairmans tickets.
I eventually went on to HND electronic engineering .
Whilst at the skill centre I was on a wage of sorts .

I know that the old skillcentre places have closed but there might be something availabe in a different guise.

I have also done 18 months of NVQ bricklaying / construction as a night school and day release every second Friday ( worked saturdays for Friday rate ) but never bothered with the exams for I was only doing it to build my own home.

I did the same for basic domestic electrician & found it vey easy due to my electronics work .

Keep at it , there is usually a way round things if you choose to think differently .

 

[Alistair]

tried the job centre approach... was offered training in care working... work that out. apparently ech job centre gears up to the needs of the surrounding area... my area doesnt need welders so they wont offer me any help towards it. she did say that the local hospital and old peoples home were short staffed and they would help me train towards that.... i politely told her to go stick her head up her useless ****

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Go back and ask to train as a Prime Minister


This is a BIG IF etc .
I googled for welding courses a few weeks ago, fro a friend , there were some people that were offering to tailor a course for your needs... but that costs dosh ...
It really depends how much you are wanting to learn as to if you choose to go that way ... take a look anyhow , you might feel you are worth investing that much in yourself.


I worked 6 months for free with two electronic engineer guys & was always available for Jobcentre interviews and possibilities of work from them .

I learnt a lot and became S E doing electronic repairs ..a few months down the road was offered a reasonable job in an entirely different work area .

I carried on with my electronic repairs in my own place, eventually buying numerous high spec testers and a rather niced dual beam oscilloscope and eventually got on the skill centre course .


There are opportunities out there even in a recession, for I did all that it in 1981 and had a disabled shoulder joint as well .

If you are under 27 you could join up and go to RE /REME for a trade skill and a few hairy moments etc.

 

[Alistair]

i wish i was under 27!!

 

[the snooper]

i think in this current economic climate companys will be very reluctant to take on staff that cant jump in and make them a profit instantly.
not only that it seems that there are less and less apprebticeships available as the years pass probably the fault of the government and their crackpot schemes sending people on placements for 6 months at a time so why should emplyers train people when they get free labour.
there is no incentive any more

 

[toddy]

well i found that i was being used as cheep labour most of the time, as i was getting payed less than than the generial labourers on the site i was on, and only when they really got pushed they rushed me through the rest of it and the layed me off

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

well i found that i was being used as cheep labour most of the time, as i was getting payed less than than the generial labourers on the site i was on, and only when they really got pushed they rushed me through the rest of it and the layed me off

But did you use that time effectively to learn as much as you could or did you get disheartened and grumpy?

 

[toddy]

well i kept asking to train on different possitions and processes, and my assor and the ECITB(who i was doing the apprentiship through) was pushing the company to train me, and because of how they used us as cheep labourer the company was been blacklisted to not get any more apprenticeships from them.
but the big problem was is that i was layed off as an apprentice. it was after i was layed off i finished, and since then i havent had any welding work (except for diy jobs)

i was very disheartened and grumpy when i was told i will be layed off, and i then used the larst week to practis welding as much as i could, and most of my formen didnt know why we(all the apprentices) were getting the chop, when they were very short of pipe welders.

and im sorry if it seams like i am moaning but it is just a word of warning.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

well i kept asking to train on different possitions and processes, and my assor and the ECITB(who i was doing the apprentiship through) was pushing the company to train me, and because of how they used us as cheep labourer the company was been blacklisted to not get any more apprenticeships from them.
but the big problem was is that i was layed off as an apprentice. it was after i was layed off i finished, and since then i havent had any welding work (except for diy jobs)

i was very disheartened and grumpy when i was told i will be layed off, and i then used the larst week to practis welding as much as i could, and most of my formen didnt know why we(all the apprentices) were getting the chop, when they were very short of pipe welders.

and im sorry if it seams like i am moaning but it is just a word of warning.

Toddy, I have been in 28 jobs since 20 Dec 1980 to 1 Jun 1988 ,.was made redundant nine times , got the sack once and finally medically retired due to injury in 95

I understand where you are coming from only too well.

Nowadays you have to make the most of every single bit of experience and knowledge, you can and shuffle it around for each job to make you the most suitable & most employable candidate. Do you have any experience in writing a CV specifically for a job rahter than a general CV ?

If not can I suggest you get hold of a newspaper with jobs in it and see if you can do an individual job specific CV for as many of the jobs advertized as possible .

You migh discover that you have many many more tallents and experiences than you first thought.

It is also good to have an uptodate general CV on your PC so that you can email it.

Don't just go for the standard lisitings CV either, a CV can be a flowing narative providing it had salient dates and occasions etc. and these stand out head and shoulders above the standard ones.

 

[toddy]

well i hopefully may have a job soon, but my cv is upto date and everything i have done that is to any benifit is on there, and my nanny helped me write it (she was (untill 2 years ago) a school head) it is on my computer and since i was layed off i have applyed for any job that i can do dont matter if it is stacking shelves or 6g work and i have done well over 1200 applications now.
and i have had alot of places come back and say due to your location you are uncessfull, bu then it is my choice how far i am willing to commute.

but im keeping everything crossed, larst week was an intevew and yesterday was a weld test and i passed that so...

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Good on you lad,
The attitude of doing anything legal to pay your way will see you much better off than most.

I like your numbers game you should hit jack pot this time .

The best thing is that once in work you can use it as a stepping stone to get where you really want .

Don't give up on your dream and don't let anyone steal it either.

David