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Further to the above (but slightly off topic, I'll admit ... sorry Joe) ... during National Service, the first thing that the first intake had to do at a certain Royal Engineer's Training Camp was build their own NAAFI!

Yes, Graham, you're spot-on there Mate. Those things you mention are (were) all familiar to me.

Regarding Chris' experiences ... well, as I say, I guess the quality of apprenticeships on offer must have varied from establishment to establishment.

But, where does a young person go to get their (engineering) training these days (and don't tell me University ... I'm talking about proper training)? Who's going to (be able to) take over when "us lot" have all gone?

So, here we go ... let's start the ball rolling for the mighty NHS (big enough to support such a scheme, surely) to start an Apprenticeship Scheme whereby having a trainee in every EBME shop would become the norm!

Geoff, did you know the REME are finally pulling out of Arborfield in the near future. Maybe the NHS could take over their facilities and you could be founding member...

All NHS trainee technical staff could go. Brilliant.

The Apprentices' College is already long gone, Mate. Meanwhile, I'll keep chipping away as and when I can.

This (once great) nation of ours has been "damaged beyond repair" in my opinion. Now, where's my AFG-1043 pad (for those who may recall what they were)?

Do they have them in the Falklands then ???

Block release college/university, on the job training, cpd to name a few. There's one major difference between military and the non military, usually there's nothing to stop an apprentice from completing their apprenticeship and the next day deciding they want to work for someone else. (it’s one of the many reason’s apprentices are kept sweet) Correct me if I'm wrong but waking up and deciding you don't want to do the job in the army is still called desertion!

Some apprenticeships have got around the problem of retention by either demanding that the apprentice pays for their own training or having an similar scheme to sponsoring at degree level where the trainee agrees to work for a certain period or refund their training expenses on leaving.

Correct me if I'm wrong ... but surely all apprenticeships had some sort of retention clause. If not, they the employers must have been idiots!

In the army we had to "sign on" for some stipulated period (n years) each time we went forward on some sort of career course. Apprentices served a 9+3, if I remember rightly (nine years service, plus three as a reservist). But anyway, why would you want to leave?

Can I presume that you never had the opportunity to serve, then, Chris? Your loss, Mate, unfortunately.

The old apprenticeships are a thing of the past, there use to be jobs that you couldn't do unless you took an apprenticeship. I remember when leaving school that if you wanted to join Rolls Royce it was impossible unless you came straight from their apprenticeship. Even giving up an apprenticeship about 10 years ago was unheard of so there were companies who used standard employment contracts.

Now that a job for life is a very rare thing and it's expected that employees will change jobs more often, employers are less keen on investing vast amounts on apprentices even if they have guarantees of two or three years service.

By the way I think the comment "why would you want to leave" tells quite a bit about the Army Apprenticeship. After the American's took over the previous company I worked for the training opportunities for apprentices really went down hill. At least one gave in their notice and decided to take a full time course. If someone can't answer why someone would want to leave after or during their apprenticeship, their apprenticeship must have been good!

... not to mention "somewhere to kip, plus three square meals a day"!

PS: pity that I missed your "edited remark"! I would have enjoyed that, I should imagine. Oh well, never mind.

I still have to sign these!

DW - Still in the daftside!

If any of the old ex-REME sweats are interested here is a link to the new site and all the future training needs of the Corp!

DW - The Medical & Dental training will probably go there as well!