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BUSINESS AND TRAINING
The Apprenticeship Journey ( Part 2 of 3 ) – A practical guide to prospective host employers
By
Terry Smith , owner of Legacy Plumbing Services
In last month ’ s issue of Plumbing Africa , we talked about how hiring an apprentice is not for the faint hearted and discussed who the stakeholders are in within the Apprenticeship Ecosystem . Also listed was ‘ Role and Responsibilities of a Host Employer ’ ( Part 1 ).
This month , I would like to provide some tips to Host Employers on how to help an Apprentice apply their knowledge in the working environment .
Important too , is knowing that you will be interacting with learner plumbers who are at different stages of their education . For instance , a learner plumber who has only four months of theory will have little practical experience under his belt . You need to be aware of this in order to set tasks for your apprentice that are within his or her reach . But also set tasks that push your apprentice to think , and which test his or her knowledge and skills .
Going into the apprenticeship , a learner plumber needs to distinguish where your role as host company differs from a training provider .
Let ’ s take a look at the following scenario …
The Training Provider ( Plumbing College ) is responsible for teaching theory as well as some basic practical knowledge . By way of example , let us look at the process of installing a toilet :
A learner plumber will be taught the theory , thereby gaining ‘ book knowledge ’ on the how to install a toilet , such as the height and angle of the supply and waste pipes . He will learn about different toilet systems , such as close couple , low level , and so on . They will then do practical work and install the toilet under the guidance of a training facilitator .
When it comes to this ‘ knowledge being applied ’ as an apprentice at a plumbing company , the learning curve is different . Using the same example of installing a toilet , an onsite working environment will have several variables , most importantly that each site will be unique . Let ’ s take a look at some examples :
• If you are on a building site with builders , electricians , tilers , and so forth , an apprentice would learn about the relevance of project management and communication . They would learn which plumbing work needs to be done before tiling commences and which work is done after the tiling is done .
• You might have an emergency call to a client ’ s home to replace a broken toilet . An apprentice would then need to understand how to work neatly and to ensure that when you are breaking out the old toilet , that he or she is careful not to damage surrounding wall and floor tiles . It is about learning to work in a tidy manner and have a bucket and cloth with you . You may think that this is ‘ common sense ’ however , these are learnt behaviours that can only occur through exposure to working in someone ’ s home .
All images : Legacy Plumbing
Team preparation for the day .
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline April 2021 Volume 27 I Number 2