Thats a shitter mate....seems like alot of people having reduced hours etc. lately....
i work for Alstom. its a huge international company, that specialize in Power, Grid, Transport - Rolling stock, signalling and infastructure and up untill recently, ship building.
I work in the transport sector, doing an electrical/electronic & mechanical apprenticeship.
At our depot, we maintain and uprgrades/mods the Pendolino Virgin Trains which we buillt.
4 year apprenticeship - which you had to do:
-PEO (Performing Engineering Opperations
-ONC Electrical/Electronics
-HNC Electrical/Electronics
and then they added an NVQ Level 3 - Electrical Maintenance to it aswel
when me and Will, the other apprentice was hired it was too late in the college year to join the course they wanted us to get on, so we did about 8 month's on depot, which classed as our first year. Then we went on the college course and that started our second year.
so towards the end of last year, i was put in a team, and started my role as a trainee Team Member A, going from my nice permanent days to shift's, morning - afternoons - nights!
September was my passing out date, which then i would of finished my trainning contract and got my perminent team member A contract. which would mean more money, and hell, the real important thing, a confirmed Job!!!!
come septemeber and no one had mentioned anything to me. so i went and asked questions, which the HR manager replied to "Because you didnt do a full first year, and you still are finishing your last year at college, we will extend your training contract untill the following septemeber"
totally moved the goalposts last minute. i couldnt believe it
Thats a whole year added on to my apprenticeship.......another year of apprentice money isnt my problem, but its another year of not knowing if i will end up with a permanent contract. i went and saw the big cheese, our depot manager and he hit the roof, he was un-aware of what had gone on and assured me he would sort it. i was over the moon, and thought i would be handed my contract by the end of september.
i heard nothing for a few weeks, so i went and saw him again. To which he almost seemed apologetic, and explained his hands were tied with HR. The HR manager came in and basically told me in so many words, i was lucky to be on the money i am now as i hadnt done a full first year, and i was put on 2nd year money without completing the first year of college as i was on depot in my first year. I argued my case well but there was no way she was being swayed. it really blew the wind out of my sails
So now i will be finishing next septemeber, along with Will, and now the two other apprentices that started the following year to us. 4 guys coming out of there time together at the same time, and BOTH sam and kyle, the other apprentices's, their dads work for Alstom, and sams dad is the Apprentice manager!
more competition, and maybe some un-fair competition at that.
the only comfort is that its public knowledge at work that will and kyle are TERRIBLE at the job lol,
At the end of the day, i am already doing the job i will be doing, and the only one to have done the safety critical work assessment, so now i can complete jobs on my own and legally sign it off.
I had been put in my team to have 3 months getting used to shifts, and integrating with the Team, before passing out, standard procedure, which obviously now will be a year and 3 month's - so thats a plus
but still, a year of not knowing if i will have a job is killing me. cant make any plans, cant take out any loans - in limbo, and i dont mean the dance
