Quote:
Originally Posted by jaysay
I I served a 5 years apprenticeship when I left school and had to forgo a days pay when I was 18 to carry on, on day release.
My late Father left school at 14 served a 7 year apprenticeship, he was a first class tradesman, but on the day he retired he said to me "I've enjoyed my working life John, my only regret is, that I was never able to learn everything I wanted about the job that I would have liked to."  Think that says it all to me |
agree with every word you have written , and the first bit about losing money is true , though I dont think I lost money till I reached 21 ,
Still have my "Indenture papers" signed by my parents and the company,(signing me up at 16 until my 21st birthday ) for a 5 year term .
Not sure if it was a legal binding contract , but it worked out fine for me the 'owd' guys responsible for teaching me my trade (didn't think so at the time) I owe a debt of gratitude ( Jimmy Gent, Cliff Starkey, John Darwin, Jack Kaley, Ernie Tuke, etc ) because of those guys I've allways been able to put bread and meat on my table .
Lots of talk about equality and such stuff , but going back to those days even the unions had a class hieracy , In my union (Boilermakers and Ironworkers) young lads who came into the trade got a full union card on completion of apprenticeship , other guys who entered the trade later in life for training and did five years got a different union card , (no tech college classes just on the job training) think we got a white card and they got a green card .
Think Accy web user South Aussie with tell me if I'm wrong but I think the law changed on Jan 1 st 1970 when the age 21 rule for apprentices was abolished , I know I had to go to 21 but South Aussie who is a few months younger than me got the full pay before his 21st
