1st year apprentice

[ARW]

OK, so he is 16 and only been with us 8 weeks. His task was to put a 13A plug onto my blue extension lead. He was given both the plug and the extension lead and told not to put the plug top on until I has inspected his wiring.

Did he

1. Fit the plug to the extension lead correctly and leave the plug top off for inspection

1. Fit the plug to the extension incorrectly and leave the plug top off for inspect.

2. Have some sort of brain seizure and fit the plug top to a roll of

1.5mm white 3 core flex that he found in the van AND fit the plug top so that his wiring could not be inspected.

Answers on a post card to PO BOX W4NK3R.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , ARW writes

I'll vote for 3.

This lad is a potential success story. Not only did he assess your old extension as unfit, he used initiative to solve the problem. Correctly judging the 1.5mm 3 core to be a suitable replacement, he had the confidence in his workmanship to fit the plug top.

Lacking the appropriate, unsupplied outlet socket he wisely did not unwind and cut the cable leaving this decision to his supervisor.

[DerbyBorn]

Was he given suitable instruction on this obscure task - or did you arrogantly assume that because you could do it at his age then he should? Are you the type who would laugh at a teenager trying to use a dial phone or a Walkman?

[Tim Streater]

Does the 1.5mm refer to the overall diameter of the flex, the diameter of each core including insulation, or the diameter of each core excluding insulation.

[ARW]

CSA of the copper of each core (like normal).

[ARW]

I would not consider fitting a plug to be an obscure task for an electrical apprentice, even a first year one. What is obscure is that he did not fit the plug to the extension lead that he was given but went to the van and fitted the plug to a roll of flex.

And yes I took the piss out of him at the wholesalers when he got stuck trying to get out of the front door with the sign saying pull on it.

[Roger Hayter]

No.

[Cursitor Doom]

Somehow I just *know* it's going to be No.3, however inexplicably improbable that might be. :-)

[Brian-Gaff]

What is that quote, lesson one listen as well as you hear, or in this case look and read as well as you see.

There is unfortunate a problem and maybe its always been this way, with people actually having selective memory of the short term kind. I think this is why repeat while under supervision is a great thing. It can teach you to actually understand the words and also by asking questions the logic of the decisions made that result in the task being completed successfully. IE if you had given him a knackered old extension to fix with an obvious busted plug, Look at the rest for wire or other damage before wasting your time fitting a new plug, plugging it in and finding the wire is half cut through. Brian

[ARW]

For what it is worth he actually wired the plug up correctly (I took the top off and checked).

It's a pity that he had not fitted it to the extension lead that he was given.

[FMurtz]

Every one knows what he is referring to except maybe you.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You contribute to this group and think mains flex with an overall diameter of 1.5mm exists? The sort of thing an electrician would carry in his van? And really don't understand what 1.5mm refers to with cable?

No wonder you are a Tory. Just the sort of thing I'd expect from Boris.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Did you ask him why? Could he answer through the tears?

[Max Demian]

You should always try pushing a "Pull" door in case the door goes both ways and they just want to tell you what to do.

[Andy Burns]

Not just me then ...

[GB]

I remember things were ominously quiet one morning when the kids were small. There was a bang, and the whole house went quiet. It turned out that the two older boys had decided to wire up a plug. Not having any idea at all how to do it, they stripped 3 or 4 inches of insulation off each of the wires and wrapped them round all three plug terminals. Fortunately, they jammed the top on without leaving any strands of wire outside the plug, so no children were harmed in this experiment.

Possibly, this was my fault for not showing them exactly how to do it, but they were only 4 or 5 at the time.

[David]

I always have trouble with the doors marked "Lift"

Cheers

Dave R

[Cursitor Doom]

I'm more of an old imperial measurement type (AWG/SWG etc) but believe that 1.5mm is *way* too thin to make an extension lead out of (unless you just want to make up something specifically for a lightly loaded lighting application.

[Bill Wright]

Your instructions must have been unclear to him. This isn't necessarily your fault. However, a good method is to make the learner speak the instructions back to you. You check for real understanding. So that he doesn't think you're babying him say, "OK, now just in case that wasn't clear, tell me exactly what you have to do, in your own words."

As I'm sure you know teenage often have surprising gaps in their knowledge and in the very way they their perception works. You are extremely lucky because you have the rare pleasure of guiding them, helping them, and generally reconstructing their minds so they become useful human beings. Enjoy!

Fair enough. Did he cry?

Bill

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I remember trying to make a magnet aged about 5. No need to guess the result.