Done Well You Have, Young Apprentice

As promised. The tale of the Young Apprentice.

Young Barbara, that is. She kept coming over to look at the site. Even when we closed it off she still came as close as she could. The boys lost interest but she never did. And any time I was close enough she would ask questions about what I was doing, and how, and why. I thought I'd see if I could give her a day on-site. Especially now we've got three sections to the site. One still cordoned off where they're still breaking ground; one fenced area where there are houses part-completed. And one unfenced, no hard-hats needed, area where we have the show houses, finished and almost-finished houses. Which is where I'm currently working, painting the insides.

There still aren't enough women in the construction trades over here. The industry makes positive efforts to get more young women interested in the trades. There are "take your daughter to work" days. And arranged school visits. All these are usually for older kids, teens mostly, though. There's not a lot for under 10s.

I checked with the foreman. "Out of the question. It would never be allowed. Besides you'd need a CRB and the company won't pay" I pointed out I already had a CRB, since last year I'd done some work in a residential home for kids with spina bifida. He still wasn't very helpful. I went higher. Eventually the district manager said, "Why not. You'll have to arrange everything though. Permissions, waivers, insurance, etc."

No problem I thought.

It took ten minutes on the phone to get my insurance company to extend my public liability insurance to cover her for one day. Another ten minutes to sort out accident insurance for her. It took a week for the CITB (Construction Industry national body) to grant temporary licences and permissions. A half-hour discussion with Barbara's mother, explaining what I wanted to try, and she gave, enthusiastic, permission.

It took five weeks - five bloody weeks - and twelve phone-calls for the regional director to sign the letter of agreement!!

Eventually it was done and I could now ask Barbara if she'd like to work with me for a day. She nearly knocked me off my feet, throwing herself at me for a hug. I did my usual frozen rigid I-have-been-attacked-by-a-bear routine. She didn't seem to notice. She carried right on hugging and babbling away. I finally managed to pry the little limpet off me and her mother and I fixed up a date for half-term.

Half-term came. We'd decided a full 8-hour day would be too much, so Barbara's mother brought her over at 11am (after tea-break). She was wearing (as advised) jeans and a long-sleeved top - old & very scruffy. And carrying a sandwich in a freezer-bag. I had a little toy hard-hat for her, and a set of child-sized painter's whites. She put them on. I've never seen a kid look so chuffed. I thought her face would break she was smiling so much. I gave her two brushes, one 23mm, one 50mm. Not the quality I'd use but not dead cheap crap, either. Cheap brushes are a waste of money.

And then I taught her to paint. We were only doing undercoating. (Walls are too much to handle when you're tiny, and gloss is too easy to ruin - and impossible to get out of hair and clothes!!)

I've had real apprentices who didn't pick it up as quickly. She learnt how to "cut-in" in less than five minutes. OK, she only did skirting boards while I did door-frames, doors, and window surrounds, but she was having the time of her life. She kept up non-stop chatter for the entire time. When she wasn't singing that is. We stopped for lunch at 12.30 and she still chatted.

She finished her "work" day when her mother came to collect her at 2.30. She was still babbling. She hugged me again. Her mother thanked me, Barbara thanked me and asked if she could do it again. I said yes, why not.

I let her keep the whites, the brushes (after I cleaned them), and the hard-hat. And I gave her a little certificate I'd printed up, with fancy writing on it, that said she'd completed a training course and was now qualified to be a junior apprentice painter's mate.

And then her bloody mother hugged me!!!!

I do not do hugs. Everybody who knows me knows I do not do hugs.

Anyway, she'll be back with me, on site, sometime in August. Just for one day. Maybe two. Depends on what permissions I can get.

And no disasters happened!!

See you next week. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.


Ze

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