Individual and Organizational Learning LO28718

From: Alan Cotterell (acotrel@cnl.com.au)
Date: 06/20/02


Replying to LO28711 --

I am currently helping a friend set up an engineering business in
Melbourne, Australia. We have discussed employing an apprentice, however
I suggest that a Trainee Technical Officer would be more suitable.

I believe it's important to start off as we intend to continue.

In Australia funding is available to assist employment of 'Trade
Apprentices'. However (generalising where perhaps I shouldn't) these
people are usually those who have dropped out of school prior to year 11.
Their learning skills have often been damaged by the education system.

We require a hands-on person who wishes to go ahead and become
professionally qualified. Unfortunately the 'hands-on' and the academic
person, are not seen as being the one entity by our leaders. The ancient
Greeks and Romans had similar problems with their society, where
philosophers never did the experimentation necessary to prove theories
(slaves did the hands-on stuff).

It seems stupid to perpetuate a system of 'trades apprentices', when the
trades people are continually subject to union-bashing, limited wages etc.
Industry in Australia for the main part, no longer uses trades people.

What we would end up with by employing a trainee technical officer, is a
clone of my friend - a Mechanical Engineer with the capability to use
tools competently. Would that be a bad thing?

regards,
Alan Cotterell

-- 

"Alan Cotterell" <acotrel@cnl.com.au>

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