Hi there, just wondering when you have completed your apprenticeship and gained rego, what you should know. A good question as I know alot of apprentices that lagg pipes or drill in ramset anchors for a majority of there time. And then your going to come out of your time, not knowing a heck of alot and make a good load of mistakes to become competent??

Linkback: https://www.plumbers.nz/apprenticeships/78/how-competant-were-you-out-of-your-apprentiship/1135/

Hey Roberto,
Your post rings a bell with me, very similar boat here, so Im guessing its the way it is, theres no way you "just know" what theyre wanting. Physics would do well in an apprenticeship. Yeh there is alot to learn but its a learning curve, are you going to go for gas? Im sitting in June, Oh f#$@! Goodtimes

jax - do u work for the pgdb? sound like it!

your only as good as the person who trains you, and the more time they put into teaching you, the better off you will be, end of story.

this just flat out is not true - whilst i understand where you are coming from - some people just do not have the necessary ability and are not cut out for it

Sorry Roberto - I definitely DO NOT work for the PGDB - but we have employed over 30 apprentices and trained them through to registration.   I have seen all sorts of attitudes and abilities - but in the end a good attitude will mean that those around you want to teach you what they know.  In a larger firm it is much easier as you rotate apprentices around different tradesmen so that by the end of the four years they will have been exposed to a number of different ways of doing things and then can make up their own mind what works.  You are not only as good as the person that trained you - in this day and age with the internet and the ability to read, you can learn a lot on your own - you may not have physically "done" the job - but you can read and learn, read and learn.  There are ample trade shows and seminars etc at merchants which are usually out of work hours - you can also attend these.  I see a lot of bitterness on here from time to time about useless employers etc, and I admit that some of the examples given do seem poor practice.  Taking on an apprentice is always a risk, and for a one man band, a huge risk, but generally most of these guys really do want to share what they have learned and take a lot of pride in an apprentice that does well. 

The competencies and the legislation that underpins them is important for apprentices to know.  The Federation have been on at the PGDB about the competencies being gazetted, because up until now we have all been working on transitional arrangements.  Apprentices and tradesmen alike all have a vested interest in understanding what they are being measured against for registration, but also for the issue of arguements around CPD and perhaps, worse case scenario a disciplinary issue.