Ground Men and Apprentices

[Pootnaigle]

Um evidently there is 2 schools of thought but this' I werked with a feller that chew yer hind end out if ever lil thang wuznt purfect m have seen him have a grunt in tears at the end of the day i bleve hid reasoning was if they dont want some of this they will try will tryy a lil harder
Later in life he becme a trainer n he wuzza purfectionist bout evr thang in his real life as well as his werkin life he was sharp as they come n could hold his own with any graduate engineevery thing he Eevery thing he ever undertook he did to perfection

[torren61]

Um evidently there is 2 schools of thought but this' I werked with a feller that chew yer hind end out if ever lil thang wuznt purfect m have seen him have a grunt in tears at the end of the day i bleve hid reasoning was if they dont want some of this they will try will tryy a lil harder
Later in life he becme a trainer n he wuzza purfectionist bout evr thang in his real life as well as his werkin life he was sharp as they come n could hold his own with any graduate engineevery thing he Eevery thing he ever undertook he did to perfection

I hear ya but I'll bet he never called any apprentice or groundman a n*gg*r like the lineman in my story. (Not that it matters but the grunt was not black.)

[Old Line Dog]

I have had guys that would not listen to their journeyman or foreman. I had one apprentice that would get in quite a snit if you would not let him go a job "his way" , even though it was unsafe. I had an apprentice that could not remember to put out cones, even after a year. He got chewed out.

I just don't understand how or WHY, companys don't Fire people like this!
In THIS trade, If a Lineman can't lay down the law to an app., ....this trade is.....

[reppy007]

That old free speech stuff that we were brought up with is gone with the wind...nothing is free but the air....and like the internet, once it sent theres no getting it back....so watch out what you say,once its said,you better believe they will go running and telling .

[torren61]

I HAVE had apprentices in the past who had attitudes. I let them know real quick that if they didn't want to give me the respect I deserve or they didn't want to listen... the information tap would simply turn off and they could figure it out for themselves. You all know of at least one example of an apprentice who was in with the boss and was nearly "untouchable". I won't work in such an environment because then it's not only the apprentice but the boss as well, so... later days, better lays. I'm gone.

The thread was meant to address how you go about teaching someone under your supervision. Uppity apes require a different thread, lol.

[bren guzzi]

I had some really good teachers / mentors when I started this trade..and a few dumb @sses.. But ya learn from them all..... In any trade or in any walk of life really... You can only be as good as your taught..

If a dog bites someone. We all blame the dog.....

It ain't his fault... It's coz he weren't trained right...

BUT AS WITH DOG,S.. They suffer the consequences... ( and get put down ) ... And the owner fined... Disproportionate punishment for the dog..

I spend a lot of time with apprentices. And try to help them along the way.. But within an hour or so... Ya know the good ones.... And ya tend to help them more , choosing some times subconsciously to " not waste your time with the others...."

Never shout at an apprentice., treat them with respect, and try listening to the young guy... They will tell ya all ya need to know if YA LET THEM. ...

Bullying don't work.. Try praise and respect... TRUST ME. ! Ya catch more bees with honey.

If they still ain't gonna make it.. Look them in the eye and tell them honestly WHY, And shake the guys hand.. Like ya did when ya met him...

This is how I TRY to do it.. ( don't always succeed ) but I will keep on trying..

[torren61]

I had some really good teachers / mentors when I started this trade..and a few dumb @sses.. But ya learn from them all..... In any trade or in any walk of life really... You can only be as good as your taught..

If a dog bites someone. We all blame the dog.....

It ain't his fault... It's coz he weren't trained right...

BUT AS WITH DOG,S.. They suffer the consequences... ( and get put down ) ... And the owner fined... Disproportionate punishment for the dog..

I spend a lot of time with apprentices. And try to help them along the way.. But within an hour or so... Ya know the good ones.... And ya tend to help them more , choosing some times subconsciously to " not waste your time with the others...."

Never shout at an apprentice., treat them with respect, and try listening to the young guy... They will tell ya all ya need to know if YA LET THEM. ...

Bullying don't work.. Try praise and respect... TRUST ME. ! Ya catch more bees with honey.

If they still ain't gonna make it.. Look them in the eye and tell them honestly WHY, And shake the guys hand.. Like ya did when ya met him...

This is how I TRY to do it.. ( don't always succeed ) but I will keep on trying..

.....yep.....

[Old Line Dog]

The thread was meant to address how you go about teaching someone under your supervision. Uppity apes require a different thread, lol.

In a perfect world, right.

I use to teach the apps I was given, by who they showed themselves to be.... to me, and the interest and the attitude they showed me.

First off, I would teach them anything I knew, and always welcomed "Questions". I taught, as we worked, and always would answer any question they had.

Back in the day, "Respect" for the Journeyman, was a given. Otherwise, ya might have a "problem".

Nowdays? Not so much....Much more "Politically correct". We even need a "different thread" for "uppity apes". :-)

Yeah...I wouldn't participate in that thread.
"Slappin the siht" out of em, would be about all I would contribute.

[reppy007]

I know there are some bad ones..but when you really think about it,an apprentice that isnt that sharp,or slow shouldnt always get the blame...take a moment and look who he has worked for...if a lineman is on the lazy side,the apprentice will sometimes be the same.If the lineman is breaking safety rules,the apprentice will sometimes follow.If the lineman isnt that sharp...well you know the rest.

[rob8210]

Yeah Reppy that i quite true , an apprentice is only as good as the fella that trained him. That is why most places I have worked rotate apprentices from crew to crew, not only do they get experience in different aspects of the work but they also get taught by many different lineman. Some are great, some are good , some should be fired. A decent apprentice will be able to sort this part out. Its the ones that are full of themselves that scare me. Heck I've been in the trade 25 years and I learn something new almost everyday. Now I have a 3rd year right now that is suffering from a severe lack of experience, and he has a great attitude. I get him in the air every chance I can.