Mark Pickford an apprenticeship 50 years ago

Istarted my apprenticeship on January 13th 1972 after completing 3 years secondary schooling at Dannevirke High School. My journey, though, had started in August 1971 when I wrote to two joinery companies seeking an opportunity to start an apprenticeship. Being a country boy from Makotuku - a small settlement in Southern Hawkes Bay - it was always going to be a challenge.

I was lucky and had two interviews. One was in Dannevirke with H C Liddington but was unsuccessful, and that apprenticeship went to one of my classmates. The other was with H R Jones & Co Ltd in Feilding. That was a big day, starting with catching a Newmans bus to Palmerston North from Norsewood, then a Rutherfords bus to Feilding.

As I left home my father said, “Boy, whatever you do, you must have a firm handshake when you meet them, and look them in the eye while talking. If you don’t know the answer, ask further questions or say you don’t know.” It was very good advice and is still relevant today. After the interview I returned home to await the decision.

A couple of weeks later I received a phone call to advise that I had been successful, and my start date was agreed.

The next issue was to find somewhere to live. I found board with a family who were also in the construction industry. I boarded there for nearly 3 years along with my trusty pushbike, that was replaced by my first car in the third year of my apprenticeship.

So off I went on a 9000 hour journey in learning the skills and crafts of a joiner. My first pay was $20.67 for 40 hours and I paid $10.00 for board. On my first day the most important issue to my workmates was how well I could make a pot of tea (no coffee in those days), and get the morning tea orders correct from the bakery across the road. I remember one question was, did I have a driver’s license, to which I replied yes; I was told to get the broom out and drive that around. I have continued to use that one myself.

I noted on one of my first trips to Feilding we passed Taonui School. Their motto is “Learn by Doing”; how true is that.

One of my first jobs was filleting 12 x 2 green redwood up to 24 feet long with Reg, the yardman. HR Jones generally air dried all their own timber and stacking timber was a good way to check your eye, as the fillets had to be straight, in line, the side plumb and flush. Measurements were all in feet and inches but changed to metrics later on.

To help along the way, the Commissioner of Apprentices - a Mr RC Thornton - ordered all apprentices to attend one evening a week for nine school terms at Feilding Agricultural High School. So every Tuesday night was taken up with two hours of tutorials. I was also required to attend block courses at Palmerston North Technical Institute (now UCOL), 4 weeks a year for the 3 years of my apprenticeship. I obtained Advanced Trade Certificate. This involved sitting 8 exam papers A and B for 4 years. I enjoyed my time at these courses, as I could gauge my progress against the other apprentices and felt sorry for some of them as it was clear that they hadn’t been taught much at all. My classmate from Dannevirke High School also attended the same block courses and we worked on the double-sided bench.

Each tradesman who trained me had his strong points. They generally specialized in two areas but could all cover the full range of work in the joinery spectrum. Most were keen to teach, but some chose to not tell you everything as they wanted to have the edge on the younger ones. They had several methods of training, extending to the odd bash, and sometimes throwing timber across the workshop, but it taught you there are consequences and that they arrive in different forms.

Overall I enjoyed my apprenticeship and in the last 2000 hours I was given some very nice work to complete ahead of some of the qualified tradesmen.

It is a little different now. You get more parents asking for apprenticeships for Little Johnny, and often Little Johnny is in tow. He shakes your hand like a wet fish and won’t look you in the eye. Some of the mothers speak very well, so much so that I have offered a couple of them a job, only for them to say, “I don’t want the job - my son does.”

Of course, there are the good ones, and we strive to get them.

Career advisors appear to send students along the pathway of university & IT. What they seem not to grasp is that in doing an apprenticeship you are paid to learn, and that you still need IT skills to operate most plant and machinery.

More women are showing an interest in being joiners and some of our female joiners have won national awards. Their presence in the joinery factory creates a more positive working atmosphere.

I note that there is now a greater age spread in applications for an apprenticeship with some just wanting a change in career. Contracts have been reduced in hours, there is no night school and no exams.

The Joinery Industry Training Organisation introduced strands so apprentices can now train in specific areas (such as cabinetry, stairs, glazing etc) along with the Craftsperson strand, that encompasses the full range of joinery skills.

The BCITO took over the JITO and still offer training along with ARA in Christchurch and UCOL in Palmerston North. It’s the same qualification but delivered in a different format