hycus-flange Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I was approached by the local school asking if I could take a kid on work experience, I run an Electrical & Aerial/Satellite business. I met the kid, did a little interview type thing, laid down a few rules and explained that while we were working we worked fast and rested in the van between jobs, tools were to go back from whence they came and he was told not to touch anything without my say so, Electrics=dangerous. After being indoors watching me replace a consumer unit and doing a full electrical installation test and going to get stuff for me from the van at a sloths pace he was told to turn up today with a sence of urgency as we were all over the place working outdoors. Today he turns up, moving even slower than yesterday, i get him to lug some cable, I even let him clip some, it takes him ages because even after being shown he was still trying to nail into brick instead of mortar, he chucked handtools on the floor and left them out in the rain and then gave me attitude when i pointed out that metal tools and water dont mix. long story short, tonight he quit, after 2 days of work experience he decided that work wasnt for him. It has pissed me off greatly, at his age I was keen to impress, keen to learn, keen to experience something new, this kid didnt give a shit about anything, he just thought it would be a 2 week jolly for him turning his 6 weeks holiday into 8 weeks. Needless to say the school can do one if they think i am going to waste my time on lazy unmotivated work experience kids again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Not sure about your attitude either really. I get why you would want an employee to behave like that, but (I presume) a 16 year old who was still at school last month? Moving into the world of work is a huge culture shock and to write off an entire generation based on two days where you might have pushed someone who wasnt ready to be pushed seems at bit daft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Sounds a lazy word removed to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 And just realised the Op is "hycus flange". Always thought it was "lycus flange" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I did my work experiance at tsome council department, the first week was pretty shite just general office work, the second was great though I was in the post department and they stuck me with some asian lad who made it pretty clear he didn't want me around him whilst he was on his daily 3 hour trip to other buildings, mainly because he told me he was ''going to meet his girls'' so he left me standing outside directly next door to the place where I was working was an M&B pub so I was quite happy to sit in there for a few hours everyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidlewis Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Disagree rev about the individual but agree about writin off a generation. At 16 you know what being a word removed is and aazy bastard is so when you get an opportunity you know not to do either. Sounds like unless he gets a rocket up his arse he won't be workin anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I think the problem is kids are treated to soft at schools and at home these days, they think they can just coast through life. I remember doing my work experience, 2 weeks in a steel foundry in Nechells. I still work for the same company now 15 years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted July 10, 2012 Moderator Share Posted July 10, 2012 Did my two weeks at Villa doing community coaching. It was **** ace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I was approached by the local school asking if I could take a kid on work experience, I run an Electrical & Aerial/Satellite business. I met the kid, did a little interview type thing, laid down a few rules and explained that while we were working we worked fast and rested in the van between jobs, tools were to go back from whence they came and he was told not to touch anything without my say so, Electrics=dangerous. After being indoors watching me replace a consumer unit and doing a full electrical installation test and going to get stuff for me from the van at a sloths pace he was told to turn up today with a sence of urgency as we were all over the place working outdoors. Today he turns up, moving even slower than yesterday, i get him to lug some cable, I even let him clip some, it takes him ages because even after being shown he was still trying to nail into brick instead of mortar, he chucked handtools on the floor and left them out in the rain and then gave me attitude when i pointed out that metal tools and water dont mix. long story short, tonight he quit, after 2 days of work experience he decided that work wasnt for him. It has pissed me off greatly, at his age I was keen to impress, keen to learn, keen to experience something new, this kid didnt give a shit about anything, he just thought it would be a 2 week jolly for him turning his 6 weeks holiday into 8 weeks. Needless to say the school can do one if they think i am going to waste my time on lazy unmotivated work experience kids again. I understand what you are saying, but there are 2 sides to every story. I am sure if we spoke to the lad about the 2 day work experience, he might have a different account of events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hycus-flange Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Not sure about your attitude either really. I get why you would want an employee to behave like that, but (I presume) a 16 year old who was still at school last month? Moving into the world of work is a huge culture shock and to write off an entire generation based on two days where you might have pushed someone who wasnt ready to be pushed seems at bit daft. pushed? working on electrics, he was not allowed to anything as per H&S, he watched and fetched stuff from the van at a I dont give a shit pace slower than a snail. everything he was asked to do was received with a sigh and a shrug,he wasnt interested in anything I was trying to show him. He said he was into electrics and wanted to learn, I even put off the consumer unit replacment so he could see a major electrical job with all the paperwork and testing that goes with it, and he didnt give a shit, He wasnt pushed at all, as there wasnt anything he could do but watch and learn. I cannot believe you questioned my attitude, disappointed I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 you will probably find that he thought he would be attatching little wires to lightbulbs and making them flash and stuff like that, when he arrived and was told he couldnt actually do anything (which I understand why he couldnt) he probably just thought ''fuk dis shit I wanna mek sum light bulbs flash an tings innit'' and then just gave up before he actually started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I blame the parents. No, really. There is every chance the kid has had a sheltered life, no pocket money job, no interaction with a wide range of adults, no need to set an alarm clock and prepare clothes for the next day. So potentially, after two days in the deep end of adult life, he hasn't been able to hack it. I started my first pocket money job aged 12 and had to walk across a working dock in the evenings to get there. Aged 14 I was working weekends as a kitchen hand in a hotel. By the time I did work experience at 16 I arranged my own work experience in the wages office of a timber yard. I had the experience to realise it was indoors, the nouse to know office work hours didn't interfere with my paid work and the confidence to sort out my own contacts for work experience. I suspect the same route today would require 3 months of CRB checks and an exemption under the euro working time directives. Two days is nowhere near enough time for either party to form an opinion. Patience and empathy and fairness. Failing that, do him up the wrong 'un. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 This wouldn't have happened in my day, kids these days...etc etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Disagree rev about the individual but agree about writin off a generation. At 16 you know what being a word removed is and aazy bastard is so when you get an opportunity you know not to do either. Sounds like unless he gets a rocket up his arse he won't be workin anytime soon. I agree with Kidlewis' euphemism, threaten to do him up the wrong 'un and he'll get his act together. When I was at school, one person in my class actually got sacked from his work experience job after two days. He was working at one of the local petrol stations and got caught with his hands in the till Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 This wouldn't have happened in my day, kids these days...etc etc... I am prediciting you are in your 20s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstonMartyn88 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I did my two weeks in the ticket office at Villa. Really thought it would be quiet and easy since it was June. Definitely got a shock but absolutely loved it. On a less happy note, I got mugged, it was on the road next to The Adventurers walking back to the bus stop one afternoon after work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted July 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted July 11, 2012 The kid sounds like a dick. Write him off, and let the school deal with the fact that he quit after 2 days. As for you, as Rev said, don't take one idiot to represent a whole generation. You might do it next year and get some whizzkid who absolutely loves it and restores your faith. I did my work experience at Radio WM in the Sports department. it was brilliant. Got to do (fake) news reports, go to press conferences (went to see Aliou Cisse sign for Blues, some presser for Mark lewis Francis, one at Wolves for something I can't remember), write (genuine) teletext reports (I wrote the report for Villa selling Julian Joachim to Cov. I think it was Cov) And when there was nothign to do, I just watched Sky Sports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 The kid sounds like an idiot and yes there are two sides to every story but I doubt his side is articulate. I did mine with the Police and it was brilliant. I spent time with the motorway police, CID, forensics, dog handlers and some pc's. There isn't exactly any work for you to do its mainly just listening but it was really interesting and at times exciting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 We have a lot of these and had to put a halt to it for a bit as we had the same problem, the kids were given some great experiences on cad systems yet were constantaly found on facebook or on their phones etc, even not turning up and telling the school that we had gave them the day off. These kids just see it as a jolly. what we did then was get the school in and came to an agreement to interview potential kids, this really worked and the last 3 that we have had in have been brilliant. It costs a lot of time and money to have these in as we dont just give them a broom and get great supervision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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