Comments on: Watchmaking Apprenticeship /watchmaking-apprenticeship/ Bespoke hand-crafted watches made in Great Britain Tue, 09 Nov 2021 11:19:57 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Colin /watchmaking-apprenticeship/#comment-175149 Tue, 09 Nov 2021 11:19:57 +0000 https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/?p=2857#comment-175149 In reply to Raine.

Hi Raine,

Thanks for your message. I don’t run the apprenticeship any longer, as that was at my last job before I became self-employed, however age wasn’t a limiting factor as to whether you could join the programme.

There should be plenty of apprenticeship choices for you where age doesn’t matter. This recent article is the best place to start:

Colin

]]> By: Raine /watchmaking-apprenticeship/#comment-175147 Mon, 08 Nov 2021 13:09:42 +0000 https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/?p=2857#comment-175147 Have you thought about appreticeships for older people, or do you only offer to the younger generation? I am in my mid 40’s and very keen to train in watch repair but all apprenticeships seem to be closed to me.

]]> By: Colin /watchmaking-apprenticeship/#comment-168088 Mon, 11 Nov 2019 21:11:13 +0000 https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/?p=2857#comment-168088 Hi David,

Thank you very much for your kind comment. My contribution is modest at the moment, but hopefully in time that can change.

I would like to hope that at least I have been able to demonstrate how possible it is to set-up and implement a training programme, and businesses both small and large should have no reason not to follow suit with their own programmes; the concept has now been proven.

Importantly for their success – apprenticeships are not only rewarding for a business and fill a skill-gap, but they are also lucrative; all my trainees were profitable to the company within their first month of employment.

Here’s hoping that the situation will continue to improve for enthusiastic learners.

Colin

]]> By: david pierce /watchmaking-apprenticeship/#comment-167819 Sat, 09 Nov 2019 01:58:52 +0000 https://www.great-british-watch.co.uk/?p=2857#comment-167819 Colin,
You, and very few others like Mark Lovick, have made an incredible contribution to the sharing of mechanical watch repair technology with others. The traditional path that was available in the past, such as community college, has all but disappeared. The watch repair schools funded by the large Swiss watch companies seem only to be interested in training future employees to work in their companies. Polishing watch parts on a zinc plate for the next 15 years does not seem like interesting and challenging work. What you have accomplished can provide a real inspiration to anyone with an interest in this fascinating field.
david

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