ballooning in the towy valley
On my visit to the office last week I encountered the apprentices. The company I work for is in technology and every year they have an intake of school leavers who receive a good grounding in mobile communications and are then scattered around the business to complete their training. I have no idea about their income but I know we only take clever kids.
It’s interesting to see them in the work place. So young and yet so grown up. I encountered a small enclave of girls having a chat in the toilets. Funny, I thought to myself how their behaviour probably hasn’t changed that much from their school days. I remember the feeling of having made it into the work place, I felt like an adult!
A few months ago their tutor (for want of a better description but the man they report to for basic training) stormed into the canteen at about 9.10 am. I was getting my toast and coffee, the room was overflowing with breakfasting workers. He hollered ‘We start at 9.00am’ , turned on his heel and stormed back to the training room. A group of sheepish young people quietly removed themselves.
It took me years to realise that school merely prepares you for work. If you don’t learn to read or write you learn to dance to the sound of the bell. They don’t tell you this will happen for years to come – unless you can escape. I think that’s what I want to do but then the sound of the bell is very safe.
