By Terry Smith

Let me call it as it is…Hiring an apprentice is not for the faint-hearted!  It takes time, effort and a love for working with young people to offer an apprenticeship. It can be highly rewarding to help develop and grow the next generation of plumbers. But it can also be a stressful time for business owners, staff and the apprentice, if you are not aware of dynamics that create the best ‘ecosystem’ for successful apprenticeships.

Through running different apprenticeships over the years, I thought it was time to share my findings and give some ‘boots on ground’ advice to plumbing businesses who are considering offering apprenticeships.

For any Apprenticeship Ecosystem* to be effective, a common understanding of the industry players (stakeholders) and their respective roles and responsibilities is required. I believe that transparency will encourage better collaboration and increased participation going forward.

The Apprentice is a ‘learner plumber’ who requires hands-on industry experience in-between his or her formal plumbing training at a recognised training provider.

The Training Provider provides students with both academic and practical plumbing knowledge, over 3 years. This would usually be through an accredited, recognised plumbing college in South Africa.

“If you choose to have plumbing apprentices in your business, know that you are developing and defining the next generation of plumbers who will ultimately contribute to a much needed diverse and highly skilled workforce.”

The Host Employer provides valuable working experience during which apprentices will use their knowledge in practical applications and build their POE’s (portfolios of evidence) required for their plumbing qualification.

The Funder strategically plans Internships / Apprenticeship programmes and facilitates monthly stipend payments, which are either funded by The Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), Industry Bodies (such as IOPSA), or a plumbing company itself.

{os-gal-37} All images: Legacy Plumbing

*The Apprenticeship Ecosystem requires a central contact person to allow for seamless communication and engagement between stakeholders and to afford the Apprenticeship programme the highest level of success. This typically, but not always, falls to the Funder to implement.

The Host Employers’ Role and Responsibilities

  • Being a host employer is going to demand your time and that of other employees, so do not offer apprenticeship with the underlying thinking that you will have ‘free labour’ or that you do not need to do much. Nothing could be further from the truth.
  • Having an apprentice on the team requires the commitment of both management and staff to be on board with why you have an apprentice and what their role is.
  • When initiating the conversation with an apprentice, ask them how far he/she is in their learning journey – is he or she a first-year or third-year student. Find out how many host employers the apprentice has already been placed at, and what their feedback was. If there is any supporting documentation, this will help your decision-making process.
  • When you interview a prospective apprentice, you need to share the basics, such as information about your company, the type of plumbing work you do, your company culture and the manner in which you expect clients’ work to be done. (Typically, this will be included in a Ways-of-Working Document and Company Policies & Procedures.) Create an apprentice job description and share this with your apprentice. This helps them understand the company’s expectations of them on a day-to-day basis.
  • Allow the plumber(s) that the apprentice will be working with, to meet them. It is through this process that you will get a sense of whether the apprentice will fit in or not. Never underestimate the influence an individual can have on the ‘vibe’ of a team. The apprentice needs to fit in with your company dynamics and not the other way around.
  • The apprentice must fall within the company’s rules and regulations, even when it comes to disciplinary issues. This arrangement can be confusing to both apprentice and the host employer, since the general assumption is that the funder is the employer and will solve disciplinary issues. This is unfortunately not correct.
  • Depending on the training college that your apprentice attends, he will either be working with you half day or full day for a couple of months at a time, before going back to college full time. Make sure you understand what these dates are.
  • Guide and mentor your apprentice when you have regular time set aside to discuss completed jobs, his approach to the work, what went well, and where he needs more practice. This is a two-way conversation – for the apprentice and host company. This time will include checking and signing POE documents and Log sheets, Attendance Registers.
  • Its good practice to tell an apprentice when he has done something well and then allow him to do that task on his own going forward. This will build his confidence so that when he has qualified, he can comfortably be employed at any plumbing establishment.
  • I think it is a good idea to provide your apprentice with a reference letter on completion of the apprentice’s time with you. I would also suggest sending ‘a wrap-up’ letter to the Funder and Training Facilitator summarising the apprentice’s growth path – things they have done, learnt and experienced. It is good to add your recommendations towards areas of improvement needed plus the overall impressions of the apprentices work ethic, attention to detail, problem solving ability, interpersonal skill, and overall disposition in the workplace.

Although we all have different roles to play in our industry, if you choose to have plumbing apprentices in your business, know that you are developing and defining the next generation of plumbers who will ultimately contribute to a much needed diverse and highly skilled workforce. The ripple effect is that you are also helping elevate the overall integrity, reputation, and sustainability of the plumbing industry.

See Part 2 of the Apprenticeship Journey in the April issue of Plumbing Africa! 

About the author:

About the author:Terry Smith is the owner of Legacy Plumbing Services, registered with PIRB and a Member of IOPSA.Mobile: 071 836-7750 / E-mail: terry@legacyplumbing.co.za


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