The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

This week I have been attending a local Apprentice and engineering training centre part of Durham University.
My rigging and slinging certification ran out and I needed to get it renewed so I signed up with a training provider. TTE as they are called.
First time I have been here imagine my delight when I discovered a machine shop with rows and rows of lathes must of been at least 80 Harrison lathes. I counted 6 Bridgeport mills and 4 CNC lathes.
The place is spotless but not a trainee in sight. I asked them why and they said there is no call for this type of training at the moment most of there trainees come from abroad in the oil and gas or off shore industry. What a waste. I did offer to take one off there hands but they would not have it. No wonder there is a skill shortage.

You'd probably find there's a waiting list for places here:

https://www.baristatrainingcourses.co.uk/

Pete

Our apprentices are put through a year basic training that involves rotating around the different sections in the training centre before picking your speciality that you continue for the rest of the apptrenticeship. When I serving my time, the machine shop was fantastic. They eventually moved to a new facility some years later and I was pleased to see they still have a decent machining section alongside so much more than we had when I was a lad.

My concern though revolves around a push in industry to de-skill and automate manual work. That's (mostly) fine when you are in production as a simplified production process tends to mean cheaper and less chance of faults during manufacturer. However what you can end up with is a workforce unable to fix problems that arise during production but also lose skills that are vital to in-service repair/maintenance/overhaul.

I spent 6 months at the Loughborough Universtity training centre (many years back) and that started with pattern shop, foundry, machine shop ... Some of the lathes could deal with 1.5m diameters, or 5m lengths.

Towards the end we were allowed to "do your own thing" and two colleagues decided to make un-constricted barrels for a couple of starting pistols. They were found out! The instructor allowed them to "finish" them under supervision - the guns were not there just the original barrels they were copying. He then measured them, examined them, and finally put them under a massive press - totally destroying them.

When he gave out marks for work carried out - they both got 19/20 ... excellent work, albeit probably illegal or borderline

I remember going through the Trade School of Ford Motor Company at the Halewood Plant. What a great time I had there. I loved the lathe work and went through the syllabus quickly and onto private jobs that came in. All part of my Ordinary National Diploma based at Widnes Tech. Great days. I do remember the curriculum at the Tech included basic cooking and the Law.

I did 3 months in the machine shop as part of my apprenticeship. Thoroughly enjoyed working to a spec to produce an item.
What I didn't enjoy was our tutor bellowing FLAT AND SQUARE YOU B@STARD, FLAT AND F%CKING SQUARE" whilst mauling your work with any suitable blunt object if he found it to be out of tolerance.

It was the only time you'd mess it up though, anything that followed was spot on!