apprentice skills

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Bones10

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Alright lads I have an apprentice who's in process of l2 NVQ ATM
but when he's on site he can't do very much, don't know if I'm just expecting to much or he's just not got in him.
I let him dab a toilet out 6boards and tack little ceiling, days work for him I thought, took 2 and made right hash of it. Now I've shown and helped him loads so he knows how to do it right but I'm not sure if it's going to end well or not, what does/is your apprentice do in comparrison? I know the lads dad so trying to do all I can but need to make money at end of day
cheers all
 
Shadow him, instead of letting him do it alone at first. I've got an apprentice at the moment working towards his level 3, his skimming ok but everything else needs work. When dabbing I give him a wall to do and il do the other 3 so I'm there if he wants some advice and I can check what he's doing and il question what he's doin now and again ie il ask where he should be tapping back his board to see if he's doing it properly or just aimlessly hitting the boards, then once he's dabbing improves il let him do a small room on his own and il work close by to keep an eye on him, this way if he messes up I can sort it before it's too late if necessary can't be doin with hacking boards off because there fooked lol
 
He's been with me year &half i do shadow him that's why I let him do room by self for 1st time as he always does it with me so was a bit of tester for him
 
I used to teach plastering in college , average class of twelve, there was normally two in each class that you just knew were not going to make it (they couldn't bless themselves let alone plaster) sounds like you have got one of them on your hands,
Best for you both in the long run if you let him off ,


Plasterwork.ie
 
I have my 17 yr old lad with me it's hard work brilliant at boarding he cuts I fix otherwise he loses the rag when on the trowel patience is a virtue if it wasn't for his mum I'd find something else for him anyone want to train him lol
 
You will be lucky to find a good one,most of them are bone idle lazy bastards who want there arse wiping .
and at collage,the teachers give em a board and trowel point at a wall and then go and have a brew,lazy bastards as well ;)
 
he should be pretty good at most things by now,, if hes still useless at most things after a year and a half maybe he is one of those who is just not cut out for a job like plastering,, good luck what ever you chose to do
 
I've thought about training someone up, but then I think back to the last one and come to my senses:RpS_blink:

I don't think I'd have the patience anymore................ the stress would fkin kill me :-(
 
I believe that children are our future, Treat them well and let them lead the way..........................:RpS_thumbup:
 
It is stressful and cost lots really as slows you down more then I expected to be fair, think he might be 1 of those lads who's just doing it for sake of it
 
Surely isn't that hard to board out a room cut to size dab on wall check with level and bang level as needed? Surely can't take that long to learn?
 
depends on the young lad some can pick things up really quickly others are so bloody useless i dont think they would ever pick it up
 
I have had 1 off my lads leave me. It was either that or get the sack. He was the like the others of late. Only got to a certain level and stayed there. He could not and would not dash. When he was made to have a go he simply acted thick so I would not have him do that again for another 6 months or so yet I trained him so well and showed him what causes problems and how to avoid them. I just then thought he is happy with what he knows and doesn't want the responsibility of learning any more. Just could not get him to progress where I could leave him on his own. He would not buy tools either, he had all my pass you downs. I stopped giving my old tools so his attitude was 'if I haven't got the tools I cannot be expected to do the job right! lend me your of face the consequences'

I gave him an ultimatum, got his small tool kit out and gave him a list of tools he needed. If he didn't get them by the end of this month I will buy them and take it out of his holiday pay fund. No full tool kit no job. Started charging him diesel money as well as he would not get public transport to or from work. Also told him that I have a small back of a terrace to dash in December and if he makes a mess of it he is done. He went home and got a text to say he has quit the job has become to hard.

3 years down the drain. But some of this is my fault. If a bloke gets paid anyway even if he doesn't know what he is doing and his job is safe what incentive is there to learn the job in full? If I am to replace him then it will be on a target basis, and if they have not reached a certain level in 'x' months then goodbye.
 
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My lad has been with me for about a year , he would manage that in a day to a reasonable standard .aged 18. On the other hand he cuddles customers dogs for hours on end , the freak .
 
I have had 1 off my lads leave me. It was either that or get the sack. He was the like the others of late. Only got to a certain level and stayed there. He could not and would not dash. When he was made to have a go he simply acted thick so I would not have him do that again for another 6 months or so yet I trained him so well and showed him what causes problems and how to avoid them. I just then thought he is happy with what he knows and doesn't want the responsibility of learning any more. Just could not get him to progress where I could leave him on his own. He would not buy tools either, he had all my pass you downs. I stopped giving my old tools so his attitude was 'if I haven't got the tools I cannot be expected to do the job right! lend me your of face the consequences'

I gave him an ultimatum, got his small tool kit out and gave him a list of tools he needed. If he didn't get them by the end of this month I will buy them and take it out of his holiday pay fund. No full tool kit no job. Started charging him diesel money as well as he would not get public transport to or from work. Also told him that I have a small back of a terrace to dash in December and if he makes a mess of it he is done. He went home and got a text to say he has quit the job has become to hard.

3 years down the drain. But some of this is my fault. If a bloke gets paid anyway even if he doesn't know what he is doing and his job is safe what incentive is there to learn the job in full? If I am to replace him then it will be on a target basis, and if they have not reached a certain level in 'x' months then goodbye.

i worked for a old boy years ago and he always said if u dont pick up the trade fairley good in six months your not going to . i myself had tools with in weeks of working a trowel is not a big invesment for the years of work it gives. i cant belive ur lad bought no tools in 3 years. all i can say is what a tool he was. i still remember the frist gable i dashed i made a total b o l l ocks of it had to be hacked off the next day. but that how u learn by ur mistakes
 
Sometimes but he never got to be fully skilled where I could put him on a job on his own. He needed his arse wiping all the time. I wanted him on his own jobs whilst the other spread had his own job. Always texting every minute he could, obsessed with his Blackberry!

I think to him it was just a job not a career. Pity, me and him on our own he was fine but in a gang a bit of a zombie.
 
Here ya go marra ..:RpS_thumbup:

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Where do you people find these people I can skim reasonably well in 8 months taught myself my finish is near same as plasterers I've seen I can board a bathroom out no problem set beads if you ask me should just make them do it and I'm sure a keen interest helps
 
He sounds like a idiot, working with my spread up north, if I do that I get a smack, you must be a right dickhead firm

Welcome top labourer! Usually 1st post is an introduction not an insult. And yes I am a self confessed knob head but thats not too bad, Now a fu8king arshole thats something I would be ashamed of. What else could one be? Fu*king prick?. Arrogant tw*t? Mother Fu8ker? The list is endless so a knob head is something to be not too ashamed of, it could be worse. And we are all labeled as something. What are you top labourer.

So who are you where you from?
 
A dick head firm haha. That's the best phrase ive heard in a long time. Proper dick head firm lol
 
fair enough
Sometimes but he never got to be fully skilled where I could put him on a job on his own. He needed his arse wiping all the time. I wanted him on his own jobs whilst the other spread had his own job. Always texting every minute he could, obsessed with his Blackberry!

I think to him it was just a job not a career. Pity, me and him on our own he was fine but in a gang a bit of a zombie.
 
is it just me or is there an element of "cheeky bast*rd" attitude from some on here?? makes me wonder if people would actually say these posts if stood in front of the person they are targeted at?? if you know them and having the crack fair enough otherwise bit out of order if you ask me
 
I'm a labourer/improver from Birmingham, and I've got twice the common sense and three times the skill than most if you boring dickheads put together. What am I labeled as? Just someone trying to plod along and not get bored by you lot in the mean time
 
Love that 'dick head ' **** his busting
I'm a labourer/improver from Birmingham, and I've got twice the common sense and three times the skill than most if you boring dickheads put together. What am I labeled as? Just someone trying to plod along and not get bored by you lot in the mean time
 
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