Anyone Spotted the New Amazon Apprentices Advert?

[SteveW]

Guys,

Just watched the advert again. Quite rightly it features a female budding engineer and featured her doing up a nut with one of those very useful spanners which have an open end one end and ratchet ring spanner at the other.

Anyone want to speculate how she was using (abusing) that spanner?

Clearly the film crew either had no idea either so weren't able to correct her or modern day etiquette prevented any input. Either way we are all stuffed.

[baldric]

I have seen an advert for an apprentice that used a photo with a soldering iron, problem was they were holding what would be the hot part if it was on. They obviously chose the "model" for looks and no one present knew or cared.
images.app.goo.gl/Vh3WwZPgtJgccSc58

And

images.app.goo.gl/aUSVobk3pNfUnFVt9

Seems these are stock photos, not specifically done for the advert.

[Deleted]

This forum needs a laughing icon next to 'like'...🤣🤣🤣

[ettingtonliam]

I haven't seen it. Anyone got a link?

[d304]

In an apprentice training school in Wollongong, Australia, all the lathes were obviously for left handed trainees as all the head stocks were on the right hand side of the bed.

That was their brochure some years ago that must have been layed out by a graphics person with no mechanical knowledge reversing the image to look better.
David

[SteveW]

Guys,

The girl in the Amazon advert was using the ratchet end of the spanner in the same way as us old types would use a normal spanner, ring or open ended.

So, instead of just sticking the spanner on the nut and just cranking the thing she completed a small arc, removed the spanner, moved back to origin and took another arc and so on.

Thought this was "Spanner 101". Bet she was a real hot shot with her smart phone.

I worry that I might be seen as having a go, sort-of making a sexist snipe but it seemed clear no one had any idea either. We will all be doomed as these folk take over.

[springcrocus]

With all due respect, Steve, I agree with Richard. There's not much point in posting this topic without providing a link. I, too, have no idea what you are talking about.

Regards, Steve

[don9f]

I don’t know if there is a link to it (I haven’t found one), but it’s a tv advert about Amazon apprenticeship, showing somebody, seemingly not knowing how a ratchet ring spanner works, trying to make the viewer believe she’s mending a conveyor belt.

Cheers Don

[samc88]

To be fair I have plenty of ratchet spanners that refuse to ratchet. One of the benefits of working in a marine environment I suppose

[SteveW]

Guys,

Sorry. It's a UK TV Advert that's doing the rounds. All very slick but the poor girl has been allowed to abuse the tool she was given.

Now watch carefully...

Did you spot it?

[fubar123]

It seems she has had a modern a training scheme ie. to take as long possible to do as little as possible

[keith1500]

I think we were all a bit crack- handed when we first started out. I am sure she’ll get there in the end. Part of the journey is self learning.

I have had several apprentices with me over the years and I am constantly amazed how little they are taught by training school. In fact I am not sure what training they get sometimes. One chap squashed the wrong end of a boot lace ferrule rather like you would a standard crimp. Others don’t know how to terminate a CAT5 data cable, let alone anything about fibre.

However, most are hugely grateful for being shown the right way along with some reasoning. I bet she would too.

[Nigel Bennett]

Loved the soldering iron gags!

I recall a number of candidates for an electrical job at work being asked to wire up a 13A plug as a sort of trade test. It was frightening. The plug even came complete with a little card, showing the lengths of the wires and how much to strip off the ends. None of them seemed to take any notice of it. Some of them didn't bother stripping the wires at all; several were incorrectly wired with the live wire going to earth... if there was a wrong way of doing it, one of them did it. The most amazing one was the chap who twisted all the wires together and without attaching them to the terminals, just secured them all with the cable clamp - presumably the wires would sort it out themselves, once they were hidden away inside the plug, doing their magic. But the chap who came up with the "least worst" attempt got the job, and to be fair, after we trained him up, he turned out to be an excellent worker and a thoroughly nice bloke.

Another chap with a master's degree in engineering was taken on for a fortnight's job experience. He claimed to be proficient in 3D SolidWorks CAD. I think he knew how to switch the computer on - but that was about as far as his expertise went. He didn't even know what a countersunk screw was. What do they teach them at universities these days?

[SteveW]

Guys,
Seeing those pictures of expert solderers reminded me of a second year technician student's method of using a Weller Soldering Station. These things were a 40watt temperature controlled iron with a stand, sprung iron holster and included a wet sponge. Still have mine and its served me well.

I caught this lad remove the iron from the holster, it would have been at the perfect temperature for 40/60 rosin cored solder, then he dumped tip for several second onto the wet sponge. Loads of hissing and spitting, steam et al before he then tried to make the electrical joint with all but a cold tip.

I'm guessing his instructors had done the equivalent of the "Generation Game" demo but as usual not actually also explained what every single little action was for and importantly why.

Having got "Taking the piss out of him for producing such crap soldered joint" out of the way (the old fashioned method of reinforcing the training) I demonstrated the correct technique. For the record this included a very quick tip wipe on the sponge to remove the old solder crud but without cooling it any and then to the joint.

Then I made him repeat it. It took him a couple of goes to speed up his wipe action but once perfected he was as good at it as me. Better still he was really chuffed to finally make soldered joint that held together and looked good.

Its all too easy to think folk have picked up a skill after a quick demo but until they know the "Why" they'll never get it. Most trainers have forgotten how they learned their skills so don't always pass them on effectively. The better student learns despite their teachers.

[SteveW]

Guys,
Reference the reversed lathe images above...

There's a TV programme on the WW2 Spitfire with some nice black and white footage featuring the pilot climbing in and then getting going. All very nostalgic bit it triggered the "WTF??" reflex.

The pilot climbed up the starboard wing opened the little flap, climbed in and after the mandatory faffing about taxied to dispersal.

If you haven't got it yet perhaps I should add the registration lettering down the back was reversed.

[ettingtonliam]

We are certain thats a ratchet spanner are we? It just that I'm not familiar with that particular model, and the ones I've used have a change over lever which will reverse direction and lock in mid position, and in the brief few seconds the spanner is on view, I didn't spot a change over device.

[SteveW]

Sept 15, 2021 11:18:30 GMT ettingtonliam said:

We are certain thats a ratchet spanner are we? It just that I'm not familiar with that particular model, and the ones I've used have a change over lever which will reverse direction and lock in mid position, and in the brief few seconds the spanner is on view, I didn't spot a change over device.

Good point but I think it was one of the really cheap type you buy at a very good price from Amazon. They come with little label with "PTO" to be fitted by the user.

[jackrae]

Sept 15, 2021 11:18:30 GMT ettingtonliam said:

We are certain thats a ratchet spanner are we? It just that I'm not familiar with that particular model, and the ones I've used have a change over lever which will reverse direction and lock in mid position, and in the brief few seconds the spanner is on view, I didn't spot a change over device.

You simply reverse the spanner to 'ratchet' in the reverse direction.

When it comes to learning, there are at least 4 basic requirements before the brain has a reasonable chance of locking in a task - see it, write it, say it and do it

And if you haven't made a mistake then you haven't done the 'do it' part

[uuu]

It's an advert for goodness sake! It's staged. It's entirely feasible the nut was already tight and the actress was told to put on the spanner, set to undo, and freewheel round a few clicks, to fake tightening it.

Just like when I "pumped up" a bicycle tyre that was already full by having the connector loose.

Wilf

[chris vine]

I think you are being a bit mean to the advert and the girl with the spanner.
Maybe taking it off the nut made it look more real.

There must be a vast amount of tech at amazon to make the whole business work. Great that they are providing apprenticeships, I guess they can't get trained people otherwise.

The soldering iron adverts are brilliant though!!

Chris.