Survey: Majority of schools 'don't understand' apprenticeships

[Dan]

Electrical and electrotechnical firms express concern over schools’ careers advice

Read the full news article

 

[markc123]

Electrical and electrotechnical firms express concern over schools’ careers advice

Read the full news article

It's all very well them doing these surveys, but what are they actually going to do about it?

It's obvious to anyone that you learn more out on the job than you do in the classroom. Theory is important i agree, but you can't learn experience. Even down to the smallest of jobs that aren't even electrical related - e.g. lifting floorboards, i never once did this in my 4years at college but was doing it day in day out on my apprenticeship.

 

[Pete999]

Perhaps the powers that be for example the IET, NICEIC etc could come up with a plan to visit Schools, Academies etc to talk to the students that realistically don't have a hope of getting into Uni, or would rather take up a trade, I would be up for that with years of exerience in the Trade.

 

[Besoeker]

Perhaps the powers that be for example the IET, NICEIC etc could come up with a plan to visit Schools, Academies etc to talk to the students that realistically don't have a hope of getting into Uni, or would rather take up a trade, I would be up for that with years of exerience in the Trade.

Probably not a bad suggestion. There is general ignorance about the electrical field - or engineering in general.
Tell someone that you're an electrical engineer and they quite likely imagine that you fix washing machines.

 

[shanky887614]

Probably not a bad suggestion. There is general ignorance about the electrical field - or engineering in general.
Tell someone that you're an electrical engineer and they quite likely imagine that you fix washing machines.

going into electrical engineering sounds like a very interesting field to go into but at the same time there is an awful lot of responsibility

 

[tomspark93]

The problem with schools is they condition everyone in to thinking that A-levels and then university are the only option. From experience it was only the kids who may not have done so well who received advice on apprenticeships etc.

 

[shanky887614]

The problem with schools is they condition everyone in to thinking that A-levels and then university are the only option. From experience it was only the kids who may not have done so well who received advice on apprenticeships etc.

thats true, i started to do A-levels and hated it.

the subjects i did i thought wouldn't be too bad but they were incredably boring.

at least the buisness studies one was interesting but that might have been because i didnt know anything about it before i started it

 

[tomspark93]

thats true, i started to do A-levels and hated it.

the subjects i did i thought wouldn't be too bad but they were incredably boring.

at least the buisness studies one was interesting but that might have been because i didnt know anything about it before i started it

Interesting you say that! I did business studies and although I found it interesting I didn't find it practical at all. There was nothing channeled towards setting up your own business. Maybe I should have done a BTEC. I avoided uni as I would've only gone for all the wrong reasons:54:

 

[shanky887614]

Interesting you say that! I did business studies and although I found it interesting I didn't find it practical at all. There was nothing channeled towards setting up your own business. Maybe I should have done a BTEC. I avoided uni as I would've only gone for all the wrong reasons:54:

true, absolutely worthless when setting up a buisness at least at as level, i didnt bother going back for the next year as i had no intention by that point of going to uni

 

[Besoeker]

going into electrical engineering sounds like a very interesting field to go into but at the same time there is an awful lot of responsibility

Yes, it does I suppose. I was mainly involved with variable speed drives - some very large ones included. Getting it wrong of a 6,000kW drive just isn't an option.

I don't know what got me interested in that field. It certainly wasn't any careers advice from school. I suspect that none of the teachers had the slightest idea about it. And careers advisers were conspicuous by their absence.

 

[shanky887614]

Yes, it does I suppose. I was mainly involved with variable speed drives - some very large ones included. Getting it wrong of a 6,000kW drive just isn't an option.

I don't know what got me interested in that field. It certainly wasn't any careers advice from school. I suspect that none of the teachers had the slightest idea about it. And careers advisers were conspicuous by their absence.

to be honest i got interested in electronics because stepdad was an avionics technician in the raf and one of my teachers was a radar technitian etc

 

[Besoeker]

to be honest i got interested in electronics because stepdad was an avionics technician in the raf and one of my teachers was a radar technitian etc

Yes, that would be a good start.
I think, in my case, it came from growing up on a farm and there was lots of machinery and things to fiddle with. Electric fences, your own Welly boots, and a dog with a wet nose give you something shocking to consider..........

Much more directly than a school physics lesson.

 

[andyb]

Schools do not understand apprenticeships,
The government do not understand apprenticeships,
The public at large do not understand apprenticeships,
And colleges who teach apprentices teach them nothing.

Not going to university is seen as failing, I heard a minister say before the last election when talking about training and apprentices that they were rolling out some sort of apprentice scheme for people 'not good enough to go to university' What chance do they have when they are dismissed as failures at 16.

I despair, I've had 3 1/2 apprentices over the years and it gets harder and harder.
My last apprentice started in 2006 and spent the 1st 6 months of his day release doing health & safety, and the last 6 months doing old exam papers. All he learnt was how to pass exams. He was lucky because he learnt from me, most of his classmates who were used as cheap labour or tea boys struggled immensely.
He struggled at first because all his mates went to university and he was left behind, now there back with no jobs and he has a busy electrical contracting company. As far as I understand he even employs a couple of them.

 

[Clive P]

Hi,

The number of kids I know that have gone to University , got a Degree and then sit around waiting for work is ludicrous. When I left school, Secondary School we were told we were losers because we hadn't gone to the Grammar school. Glad I was in that category, because although recently retired I was never out of work for a single day.

Regards.

 

[tomspark93]

It's the same in a lot of cases, my sister is 24 she has her masters and a PhD and still can't find a job. Coupled with all the debt I couldn't think of anything worse myself.

 

[Besoeker]

It's the same in a lot of cases, my sister is 24 she has her masters and a PhD and still can't find a job. Coupled with all the debt I couldn't think of anything worse myself.

I agree with your point. Two of mine got good degrees, one in neuroscience, the other in zoology.
The former is a project manager in a power station, the other providing customer support for a major energy company. Both totally unrelated to their degrees.

My third pharted around at school and didn't go to university. He and his partner started their own computer games programming business. Going very well.

Goes to show.....

 

[Robson689]

We were never told about apprenticeships in school, the main thing they wanted people to do was go to 6th form and if your grades weren't too good they would give you leaflets for vocational colleges!

I'm loving my apprenticeship right now. learning a trade and getting qualifications whilst coming home with nearly 400 quid a week can't be beaten in my eyes.

School leavers need to be given correct information more than anything (about all apprenticeships not just electrical) and encouraged to do what they want instead of what makes the statistics look good. I wish I'd have known about the apprenticeship route 3 years ago before I started college