perks of the job, when I was an apprentice there were 10 places up for grabs (about 1700 applied), 6 of the 10 were already taken by people who had relatives working there, so 1700 applicants for 4 places, and this wan't some backstreet factory it was the M.O.D. ffs.
Equally as scandalous really is the fact that the jobs have to be advertised in the first place when basically the position has been filled, giving false hope to applicants, maybe incurring them some expense etc. They used to hire a huge hall in Swinton for the aptitude tests and pay out travel expenses to all the kids that turned up so in all a costly exercise that could've maybe paid for another apprenticeship.
Incidently, out of the 10 there were 4 that got 'moved into the stores etc' and 1 that was there by the skin of his teeth for the duration due to giving it all but not really up to the job.
Production Managers son....... OK 'til he got wed at 17, divorced at 19 then got sent to Vickers at Barrow to work in the wages or something.
Toolroom Chargehands son....... Did basic training plus a few months as they tried to find him another job, went in stores.
An ex 4 times apprentice of the years brother.......... did maybe 2 years, got moved into wages.
1 that was useless but Dad was big in the R&D....... engineered a uni sponsorship as he wasn't really into it and would be wasting their money training him, so they sponsored him doing something he liked.
& the final one that just about made it was only there because he was the Union Convenors son... right on brother.
AS IT TURNS OUT EVERY PENNY WAS WASTED AS BAE LAYED US ALL OFF AT THE END OF 4 YEARS WITH TRADES THAT WEREN'T MUCH USE TO US AT ALL......Those of us that made it to the end that is, the others were by then under contract and got more than generous redundancy payments, bonuses for staying to the end and job offers elsewhere.
