Treating apprentices like dirt

[Calgarian]

Is this still a common thing these days? What are your experiences as apprentices?

[fish_e_o]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Is this still a common thing these days?

it's a tactic used to get people who can work out of trades to pursue better things

[Ken07AOVette]

The rigs are by far the worst. I worked on a rig with a snot nosed little dbag, and trust me he wore the uniform 24/7. Big lifted dodge, white sunglasses, barb wire tattoo on his water arms, you know the type.
He was absolutely ignorant and miserable to green guys, and for whatever reason they kept him on.
That didn't last long with me. I wouldn't be pushed around by these little pukes.

[45-70man]

I grew up through the trades and compleated my apprenticeship, some days were rough but honestly most of the treating people like "dirt" was blown way out of proportion. the people complaining they were treated unfairly were almost exclusively very subpar workers. Not necessarily because they weren't allstar good at their job but their tradesmenship was extremely lacking and their work ethic sucks.
Today's breed of apprentice has caused me walk away from supervisor/Forman roles and walk away from the trade altogether.

[Jigger]

Originally Posted by 45-70man

I grew up through the trades and compleated my apprenticeship, some days were rough but honestly most of the treating people like "dirt" was blown way out of proportion. the people complaining they were treated unfairly were almost exclusively very subpar workers. Not necessarily because they weren't allstar good at their job but their tradesmenship was extremely lacking and their work ethic sucks.
Today's breed of apprentice has caused me walk away from supervisor/Forman roles and walk away from the trade altogether.

yep x2 i remember getting yelled at the odd time in first year, smartened up and didn't hear a peep the rest of the apprenticeship. learned good work ethic and how to be a good tradesmen because of it. the guys that didnt adjust continued to get yelled at or just quit.

[dmcbride]

Originally Posted by Jigger

yep x2 i remember getting yelled at the odd time in first year, smartened up and didn't hear a peep the rest of the apprenticeship. learned good work ethic and how to be a good tradesmen because of it. the guys that didnt adjust continued to get yelled at or just quit.

X3 weeds out the guys milking a job.

[hilt134]

Depends i was a high school apprentice with the rap program. Boss figured out a way he could pay me provincial minimum instead iff the apprentice mimimum that my buddies in the program made. Then after my first year i left the shop and found out thy never filled out my blue book even though i had a fair bit of tje hours built up. Aside from getting screwed on that side the guys where all great to work with and very patient. Actually the boss wasnt going to imvite me to staff partys but the other guys gave him crap over it. Really it just depend on you boss id say and how the other workers apprentice ships were.

[Dweb]

As a sheet metal journey man and now a 2nd year crane operator I know very well how apprentices are treated. I would say the majority are treated and trained with respect and a small few (who usually are asking for it) are treated like crap.

[Robins36]

I’ve got my foreman's kid with me starting his apprenticeship so I’m treating him pretty good. I had one apprentice that kept making the same mistake daily so I rode him till he quit.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by Dweb

As a sheet metal journey man and now a 2nd year crane operator I know very well how apprentices are treated. I would say the majority are treated and trained with respect and a small few (who usually are asking for it) are treated like crap.

This is true. I walked into the Auto Body trade green as green with a work experience program in High School. I wanted to be in the trade though. First guy I met is still my friend today, he owns his own shop and I ended my career with him. He took me under his wing, showed me the ropes from sweeping floors, to cleaning cars and then prepping them. When he left to start his own shop, other great guys showed me how to fix cars and frames. I never forgot that and treated new guys and apprentices the same.

Ya we joked around, pulled some pranks on the apprentices. Ya I had some mean and ornery old fart journeymen to deal with. Mostly they didn't like a young guy showing them up.

There were a couple apprentices who shouldn't have been in the trade and when asked, we gave our opinion. There were a few we stood up for to the boss when he thought they should be fired for being slow but we knew they would be great. Everyone learns at their own pace.

I am ok with the pranks pulled on me as an apprentice and with the ones I pulled on them But never treated them as my personal gofer or dirt.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

It is not too common from my experiences or where I come from. I come from a rather old fashioned work atmosphere and the boss was more like a colenal in the army lol. Not one single time in my 15 years of working for him I was treated with disrespect and he always kept my respect because of it. I was expected to work very hard and I did. Starting out at 18 years old I was very wild and had my share of stern talking to. There’s a reason people stay with a company for 15 years and it isn’t because of being disrespected.

On the other hand through the hundreds of people I’ve seen come and go through the years it was common for other employees to take a jab at one and other, maybe at times it was because of jealousy because somethings you find so very simple they had problems with or they had problems they were dealing with that made them feel better by lashing out at someone who wasn’t at their rank and it some how helped boost their confidence. I’ve delt with lots of this because I am so skilled at what I do. Yes, some what hated by all and only because of natural talent.

Word to the wise, you only stay the best by not calling yourself the best 😁
And bragging only created hatred from my life experiences. I’m guessing you are very talented perhaps?

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

I’d like to add one more thing here. A lot of people work in the trades because it’s what they love to do and not because they are not smart enough to persue another career. I think this is hard for some people to get a grasp on

I know of a handful of people that could buy the company they work for but continue to work because it is their passion.

[ResidentSpokesman]

I abuse every one of them twice as hard as I got it.

I go through a lot of them lol

[lmtada]

My first driller was a screamer (we had a few go around behind manifold shack). Fresh out high school, -30c, picking ditch, and cellar with pick/shovel. So much sweat, I stripped down to plain coveralls. Went to Bar in Peace River with crew, motorboy was pouring beer on locals heads. Ended up scraping with couple locals. I think I dropped about $400.00 at bar that night (86'). Made it through unscathed. That was wild first week. Still saved a little money.
"Wasn't that a party, could been whiskey, might have been the gin. Could been 2-4-6 six pack, I don't know but look at the shape I'm in. My head is like a football, think I'm gonna die".
Times have changed.

[tchardy1972]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

I’d like to add one more thing here. A lot of people work in the trades because it’s what they love to do and not because they are not smart enough to persue another career. I think this is hard for some people to get a grasp on

I know of a handful of people that could buy the company they work for but continue to work because it is their passion.

Well said. It's the reason tradesman will be the one who make the really big money in the near future. Very few of these young people now have the work ethic or the give the f#*k attitude it takes to work the trades. We are an aging brèed but will one day soon get to name your price.

[Unregistered user]

When I was a 1st year Hd Mechanic, I got a fair bit of the treatment, (Some of it deserved and some not) but I kept it up and the older guys relented as I was doing my share and then some. I work at a big outfit with a huge HR department and if we ride the less than stellar new hires we get the **** end of the stick for our troubles. Even when we can show that the prospect is useless and a danger to the crew, it is not our decision to make- it is above our pay grade. Feel-good politics is destroying our society.

[leo]

I've been involved in building construction for about 35 years. I worked my way up from the bottom. I worked as a General Contractor and contract Superintendent on some nice commercial projects. Then dived into the large projects such as the New Edmonton Remand and the Bow Tower in Calgary. Right now I'm the senior superintendent building a 100 M greenhouse at the airport by Leduc. Now that I've qualified my opinions, my mantra is very simple. Not one person's job is any more important than anothers, including mine. As individuals we can show our merit, but it takes a dedicated team to put up large structures. Somedays the most valuable employees are the ones that sweep the floor. Screamers and swollen egos don't garner respect or fear. Just loathing.

[alfoldivandor]

I am working as tool and die maker and teaching apprentices , and I do what they did with me ....

Teaching as much as possible the young one as the did with me ...
but they have to listen , no pick and chose between the jobs ,
even so I do apprentice job just to they have a chance to learn more complicated operation ,

I am they best friend until they work hard and listen ... for sure
they have different abilities......
I except that We are not same some need more time some less ...

The present job I am working I got by my former apprentice wrote me a reference letter . He is managing the tool room in other company and he is not 30 years old yet ...

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Is this still a common thing these days? What are your experiences as apprentices?

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

There isn’t many old fashioned ran business’s around anymore. The good old kind of place where things were set straight outside the shop and where it was expected that you get back to work after licking your wounds when it was all said and done. I’m glad I was able to be part of old school lessons and laugh about how things are these days. I think some of these young whipper snappers don’t realize how lucky they are that the work place has evolved into a snow flake friendly field of morons with feelers it is today 😁

[CaberTosser]

I've not seen it in 29 years. That being said some workers think they're above certain tasks and get bent out of shape being given unpleasant work. If they can't do that work what makes them think they can do the more technical difficult stuff that's the domain of senior workers? (workers who have done their share and then some of the unpleasant tasks, and often still do)

Some people interpret difficult or unpleasant work as being mistreated. Those people have delusions of their own importance.

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by leo

I've been involved in building construction for about 35 years. I worked my way up from the bottom. I worked as a General Contractor and contract Superintendent on some nice commercial projects. Then dived into the large projects such as the New Edmonton Remand and the Bow Tower in Calgary. Right now I'm the senior superintendent building a 100 M greenhouse at the airport by Leduc. Now that I've qualified my opinions, my mantra is very simple. Not one person's job is any more important than anothers, including mine. As individuals we can show our merit, but it takes a dedicated team to put up large structures. Somedays the most valuable employees are the ones that sweep the floor. Screamers and swollen egos don't garner respect or fear. Just loathing.

No project that I have been a part of that was messy had good quality work put into it.

[hayseed]

I don't always abuse my apprentices....

But when I do, I put on my white sunglasses, and throw in a lipripper, and jump in my lifted Lonhorn, and head for home when I'm done.

Ahh the usual on AO white sunglasses and lifted truck deal....never gets old..

With any job, don't put out, you will get ripped on. Keep screwing the pooch, it will get worse. You are there to learn, and work. If not you won't be there.
Seems legit.

Guess what... you even get paid for it.. no really you do.
Show up early, work hard, learn, clean up after yourself, don't talk back, share your moms cinnamon buns and life is good.

[Big pete]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

The rigs are by far the worst. I worked on a rig with a snot nosed little dbag, and trust me he wore the uniform 24/7. Big lifted dodge, white sunglasses, barb wire tattoo on his water arms, you know the type.
He was absolutely ignorant and miserable to green guys, and for whatever reason they kept him on.
That didn't last long with me. I wouldn't be pushed around by these little pukes.

I grew up on the rigs and dealt with the same kind of dbags...worked my way up from roughneck to driller and always treated young guys with respect and helped them along the way whenever I could ,( I know what it’s like to be treated like dirt)

[purgatory.sv]

Originally Posted by Calgarian

Is this still a common thing these days? What are your experiences as apprentices?

What is dirt?

Dirt is the foundation of structure.
If you are questioning dirt you need to back off.

What trade are you questioning?

[ResidentSpokesman]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

There isn’t many old fashioned ran business’s around anymore. The good old kind of place where things were set straight outside the shop and where it was expected that you get back to work after licking your wounds when it was all said and done. I’m glad I was able to be part of old school lessons and laugh about how things are these days. I think some of these young whipper snappers don’t realize how lucky they are that the work place has evolved into a snow flake friendly field of morons with feelers it is today 😁

There's still a few left 😉😉

[Scottmisfits]

In 20+ years of being in the trades, I’ve had one apprentice that I treated pretty rough. Finally I told him he should quit and go be a stripper because he’d probably be better at it and make more money. I had no idea of the plans but he got laid off about an hour later. I kind of felt like a donkey.

[ESOXangler]

Had some terrible journeymen, one or two good ones!

I'm big on respect and cracking jokes. That being said I can be hard to work with if I like the apprentice. I'll expect more and put more into them.

With all that being said. Taking out garbage without being asked will vault you oretty high in my books!

[elkhunter11]

I went through two apprenticeships myself, and I had many apprentices working for me. I have seen some lazy journeymen that treated apprentices badly, but usually the apprentices that feel abused are lazy or have zero aptitude, , and should not be in the trades.

[purgatory.sv]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

I went through two apprenticeships myself, and I had many apprentices working for me. I have seen some lazy journeymen that treated apprentices badly, but usually the apprentices that feel abused are lazy or have zero aptitude, , and should not be in the trades.

this

[reddeerguy2015]

Originally Posted by Newview01

No project that I have been a part of that was messy had good quality work put into it.

What does that even mean ????