How am I supposed to get a tradesmen apprenticeship?

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broketoliving@reddit

just like everyone went to university to get a useless degree, everyone now wants an apprenticeship in 3-4 years there will be too many fighting for jobs

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Acceptable-Pass8765@reddit

Hiya , I do see on local Facebook pages , younger trainees, offering themselves up , to you up with someone and develop their skills, when they've secured some qualifications already

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Electrical con 14 years.. get a wfh or cushy office job with nice clean work environment and air con / good cafeteria. Rolling around in shite may sound fun at first but breathing every form of dust and muck up known to man whilst wearing out all of your bodies joints gets old real fast. My ex used to sit on her ass making twice my wage on her laptop at home drinking coffee with loads of time and energy still left for exercise/ hobbies

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Omegul@reddit

Not sure why downvoted, you’ve said nothing untrue. People glamorise being an electrician but it’s so far from the truth.

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60percentsexpanther@reddit

Filthiest, most underpaid trade going after macerator "specialists". Incredibly dangerous work well before you even start on the the risk of shock- people just don't know how it is.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

Yeah that's what I really, really want. An office job but again no one is hiring and I don't know what qualifications I need.

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dragodrake@reddit

There are apprenticeships/training programmes to get in to IT. Specifically the bits that are desperate for people (which is not the usual printers and servers stuff, it's business applications like Microsoft Dynamics).

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

My ex had some useless degree in journalism from uni that she never used but managed to get into sales for tesco bank then eventually selling software to businesses. Ive got another friend in an office/ wfh job who has just had a bunch of random jobs in retail ect, he just applied for them with no office experience

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Omegul@reddit

There isn’t a shortage of tradesmen. There’s only a shortage of tradesmen who are willing to work for peanuts. I left the industry due to piss poor wages.

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HappyHippoButt@reddit

As other people have said - college is your best bet for a trade. The college local to me does various trades as well as childcare and social care qualifications.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

Why did they tell you to do childcare and social care qualifications if you went there to get into the trades?

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Dissidant@reddit

Doesn't sound like they were told to do anything, merely that the college has x and x courses available which is pretty normal behavior, they'll always give a shameless plug because even though you aren't interested you might go away and tell someone else about it

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HappyHippoButt@reddit

Not plugging anything, was just distracted by kids and have given context above.

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HappyHippoButt@reddit

It's not a "trade" only college but because they heavily advertised the childcare/social care courses, a lot of local people thought it didn't have courses for trades. I guess being distracted by kids meant I didn't get my point over clearly - even if the college local to you doesn't appear at first glance to have courses for trades, check into it.

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HopefulLandscape7460@reddit

Government have made it much harder to get in by adding a load of beurocracy. Back in the day if you wanted an apprentice you would just pay someone a low wage whilst training them up. Now you have to go through a "training provider" (they do not provide any training they just siphon money from the governmen), the apprentice has to spend random weeks in college faffing around (which means they aren't learning or working), you have to fill in a shit load of paperwork and attend meetings...why would you do any of that?

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Nervous-Economy8119@reddit

You don’t have an apprentice do you? You just made a load of crap up there.

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HopefulLandscape7460@reddit

I have both been an apprentice and worked alongside many apprentices.

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Super_Swordfish_6948@reddit

If you want to be a spark you can train as an ETO offshore and you'll get paid to do it.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

What is that and how do I do it?

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Super_Swordfish_6948@reddit

Electro Technical Officer, a fancy name for an electrician (who also needs to know a lot about IT) on a ship. You can apply directly to shipping companies or go through an agency. Clyde are a big agency https://www.clydemarinetraining.com/merchant-navy-careers/electro-technical-officer-cadetships/ The salaries they mention are lolz, you'll make double that and provided you meet some conditions you can claim the income tax back so 30-40% isn't being rinsed from you. If when you're qualified you don't fancy it you can go ashore and walk into a high voltage electrician position.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

Do I need any extra qualifications? Do I need a degree? Do I need any experience? Do they do an apprenticeships or something similar?

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Super_Swordfish_6948@reddit

Think of it as an apprenticeship at sea, you'll be getting experience, training, your qualifications plus a few quid and a bit of travel while you do it.

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West-Ad-1532@reddit

You need to look at the larger companies. Margins for smaller sole traders are currently low, and training an apprentice is an expensive luxury. Look at Reddit- how much is this trady ripping me off?

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TheNoGnome@reddit

Your dad knows a guy. Or is that guy.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

He knows a carpenter. Not an electrician. And that carpenter doesn't know any electricians.

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Advanced_Apartment_1@reddit

This nation has moved away from apprentiships. Once widespread, they're still there just far fewer in number. If you want to get a trade these days you have to pay your own way in via training corses yourself.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

One of my mates did a course for an electrician but he still hasn't had any job as an electrician. Is he actively looking probably, I'm not 100% sure.

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Narrow_Attorney6388@reddit

That's how I started out, did my first year at college and looked around whilst I learned the theory. Something always turns up through as college mates or asking firms direct. I did mine the same year as the financial crisis in 2008 so hopefully that gives you some hope. All the best

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

Wow that's actually really impressive you managed to do that in 2008. One of my mates did what you did, he did an electrician course but he's still struggling to find work as an electrician. He mainly works as an roofer now. I was also thinking of becoming a personal trainer but someone I know it took them 3 years to become a PT.

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Narrow_Attorney6388@reddit

I work in manufacturing control panels now, once you have the skill set and lots of experience there's a lot of work out there. Put the hard work in now and you'll be able to reap the benefits. Wish you all the luck

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

I wasn't tryna sound dismissive when I said "that's actually really impressive" it really is especially in 2008 of all years wow. Anyway, I'm not tryna make excuses but a friend of mine did a course at a school for an electrician and he said "that's a year wasted" cause he hasn't had any jobs come from him getting that qualification.

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Quinn_27@reddit

Have you been to college? Enrolled in any courses to get those qualifications started? Most decent colleges (the technical ones that should still be a thing) will have developers who are in touch with the tutors for work placements

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SpikeVonLipwig@reddit

As an apprenticeship training provider, there's just a lack of tutors. No one in the trades wants to take the time to train to become a tutor. No tutor = no course.

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Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit

Like a lot of jobs no one has the time to train people up.

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one_pump_chimp@reddit

Nobody wants to train anyone. 30 years ago every tradesman would have had an apprentice, just cheaper to import someone now

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Low-Cauliflower-5686@reddit

Import who?

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one_pump_chimp@reddit

900,000 people a year for the last 15 years. Many of those are varying quality of tradesmen which means that the need and desire to train young people vanished.

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Artistic_Train9725@reddit

A friend of mine put his saw down when he was 35. He's been a carpentry tutor in the local college since. (25 years) He says it's the best decision he ever made. Working indoors, great pension, and good money.

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JavaRuby2000@reddit

You need to have family or some contact in the trade willing to take you on. It's easy enough to get on an apprenticeship course at your local college but, unless you can get a placement it's pointless. Everybody saying avoid uni and get a trade seems to not understand that going to uni is actually the easiest route into employment compared with doing an apprenticeship unless your family work in the trades.

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rusty_333@reddit

I am not in the trades myself but shop around for courses that minimise expenditure and maximise progress towards qualification. All the best and persevere

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Conastop@reddit

Most of the people in trade apprenticeships are related to the people they apprentice for 😂

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LifeMasterpiece6475@reddit

Have a look at your local tech colleges to see if they're offering any courses / placements. You might have to wait till the new term. One of the issues with companies offering tradesman apprenticeships is all the extra health and safety paperwork that is needed if a young person is working on site. But if you do it through a tech college they help the employers with all that and make it an official apprenticeship rather than just training, So you have some paperwork at the end.

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Key-Environment-4910@reddit

Tell me about it ! my son went for many interviews didn’t have any experience but why should you need experience? If it’s an apprenticeship to cut a long short, ended up quite poorly with bad mental health. Unfortunately he started college and could not see this through he is now working in a shop. He would’ve been a great electrician but what am I supposed to do? I can’t find an apprenticeship for him as his parent.

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ashyjay@reddit

Welcome to Britain everyone says there’s a shortage but no one is willing to train anyone. You might have better luck going to college for you C&Gs or ther qualifications and see if then the college would help with a placement.

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PatTheCatMcDonald@reddit

C&GS = City & Guilds. OP might not be aware.

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idk7024@reddit (OP)

Yeah I didn't know what that was I had to look it up but thanks for clearing up.

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