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Apprentice Ratio

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kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Every time I see a medical show with interns following a doctor on rounds, there seems to be three or four of them. That said I don't think you can compare doctors and electricians. Electrical apprentice screw-ups may result in lost money. Intern screw-ups may result in loss of life. Apprentices are sent off to work by themselves routinely. I would hope that interns are more closely monitored.
In medical treatment setting almost everything you do is recorded also. Certain procedures may need more direct supervision depending on experience of the intern, but even suggesting the patient be given aspirin will be recorded as well as patient information that led to that decision. Sure mistakes can still be made, but they are better documented in health care than in construction type trades as a general rule.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Wouldnt 1:1 be cheaper that 1:5?
If all of the "5" are clueless on what to do maybe. Otherwise one must presume that those apprentices eventually learn and get better/faster the longer they have been an apprentice plus they normally will be paid less than a j - man. Then you factor in the fact many those apprentices are young possibly in better shape than an older J man and may be able to handle physically demanding tasks better than the Jman does, so there isn't an exactt measure for this but in general the apprentice will still be cheaper labor but needs the experienced J man to guide them, even if just a little bit once they are getting closer to becoming a J man.
 

Coppersmith

Senior Member
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Wouldnt 1:1 be cheaper that 1:5?

The way you win bids is by being less expensive. One expensive J-man guiding 5 cheap apprentices is less expensive than groups of one expensive J-man and one cheap apprentice.

If you needed 20 persons to man a job, 1:1 would consist of 10 J-men and 10 apprentices. At 1:5 it would be 4 j-men and 16 apprentices.*

*All references to men include woman electricians as well.
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
Why would it take 5 jm to supervise 1 apprentice?

Roger
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Why would it take 5 jm to supervise 1 apprentice?

Roger
Might be types of jobs typically performed. May not necessarily be 5 JM and 1 APP on a job all that often but rather 5 JM that typically go to different jobs and whoever needs more help that day takes the apprentice with them?
 

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
Might be types of jobs typically performed. May not necessarily be 5 JM and 1 APP on a job all that often but rather 5 JM that typically go to different jobs and whoever needs more help that day takes the apprentice with them?
Thanks Capt O, who would have thought.

Most of my jobs were 10 to 150 men so figure that out and report back to us. ;)

Roger
 
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