Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

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Lack of Fitters on Tyneside

Posted by Allan Campbell on December 6, 2022, 16:58:18

With the decline of engineering on Tyneside there appears to be a lack of qualified mechanical fitters.

A friend of ours bumped into one of his old staff last week and as we old fellers do they talked about their work.

The other chap is not yet retired and is training plumbers up to the required standards..

My Dad was an Electrical Fitter in Reyrolle’s which is basically wiring up appliances, big ones in Reyrolle’s.

Mechanical fitters years ago depending where they worked build or strip down machinery find out what was worn or broken and replace the various parts or even make replacement parts.

This probably due to the lack of engineering works on Tyneside to train lads leaving school etc.

Allan C.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside

Posted by Stan wears on December 6, 2022, 18:55:29, in reply to "Lack of Fitters on Tyneside"

Allan I served my time in precision mechanical engineering at Marconi bill quay 62 -67 trained by the best craftsmen ever. In the last few years, my friend Ian Robson and I tried to find anyone to say thank you as we had a great career as managers thanks to them, but sadly, they've all died. Sad really as today's fitters can't even sharpen a drill bit. They waste money buying new ones. Hebburn Tech taught us a lot too over the 5 years of day and night classes. Craftsmen died out in our day. You are so right.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside

Posted by Allan Campbell on December 6, 2022, 20:01:44, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside"

What else has caused the problem ?

No Hebburn Tech now, is there anything like that around. Schools today I doubt even have anything resembling what we had at Clegga.

I’m way out of date anyway having retired from heavy engineering in 2003.

Too old now to buy a lathe for wood or metal but would know how to start learning thanks to Clegga.

Allan C.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Malcolm on December 6, 2022, 21:59:18, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside"

Craftsmen died out in our day. Maybe not your day, but perhaps mine?

I guess I'm 10 years behind you, as I started my apprenticeship in 1973. But by the time I started it, I could already sharpen a drill bit or cold chisel, taught at school. Not Clegga, as I'd already left Tyneside, but a bloody good Technical School for Boys (how sexist does that sound?)

To the point that I quit the apprenticeship after 6 months, as I had learnt absolutely nothing. But that was at British Steel in Sth Yorks. Complete waste of time.

Onwards and upwards, as they say, with the Royal Air Force. BEST training i have seen.

And I still re-sharpen my drills.... 'till there's nowt left to sharpen...

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Norman on December 7, 2022, 9:12:07, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

Ive worked in quite a few North East Factories and every one had top class Fitters there.All Fitters could work the typical machinery in Fitting shops eg Lathes,Shaping & Milling Machines, Surface grinders etc and all could work to tolerances of 1000th of an inch.In Hebburn alone we had Baker Perkins, Pyro, Bitumastic,Whites,RW Transmissions, Reyrolles, Bushing Co, Leslies, Palmers and the Fitters there were all expected to work to precision tolerances.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Ernie G on December 7, 2022, 9:27:42, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

Well said Mr Dunn.
All Fitters (engineers) can work to tolerances like you say as that's their profession.
Has anyone noticed Mr Wears has a brag everytime he posts.
What a nerve he has criticising todays Fitters. My son is a top notch young Fitter was well traines and can fix anything and nowt beats him (and he can sharpen a drill

) like Mr Wears can
Where did Mr Wears learn todays Fitters are not as good as him because he rose to being a Manager.
As a lot of tradesmen know, sometimes the one who got promoted was the one they wouldnt miss on the shop floor)
Over the years Mr Wears has built the Sage,the A19 at Testos yet was in the Gazette years ago cos he couldnt get a job. WHY? he said he's too qualified.
He has a reputation for this and thinks we are stupid

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Stan wears on December 7, 2022, 10:05:38, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

Ernie the poin is we've lost the college etc which saw thousands get those extra skills. I left my trade cos I didn't feel as though I was a good fitter and changed my role to civil engineering. I never worked on the sage and did not say so. It was the Baltic.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Colin Thompson on December 7, 2022, 11:57:33, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

I served my time in Noble and Lund in felling and we were Told to say we were machine tool engineers not fitters .I also worked all over the uk servicing and repairing Nobles machines.After I left Nobles I worked at filtrona in narrow and was surprised to find that if a part didn’t fit — just go to the stores until you got one that did !

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Stan wears on December 7, 2022, 12:29:53, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

At one time it took 5 years to learn a trade. However in that time a lot of it was wasted learning things at college you would never ever use again. Today's world is totally different as I think the eduction authorites have realised you don't need it to be a tradesman. No way am I calling today's fitters. I think the shortage of fitters is due to lack of government grants for companies to train young people.

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Ernie G on December 7, 2022, 12:56:36, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

You say that you didnt criticise todays Fitters/engineeers. Here is what you said,
'Sad really as today's fitters can't even sharpen a drill bit. They waste money buying new ones'.

Where did you hear that rubbish ridiculing top class modern tradesmen like my son who is as good as any Engineer from the past.
You only repeated what Mr Dunn said recently ie he learned most of his engineering trade at Hebburn Tech thanks to the NCB not at the Colliery..

Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan

Posted by Stan wears on December 7, 2022, 13:32:30, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

OK Ernie apologies all around.

Ernie

Posted by Allan Campbell on December 7, 2022, 14:40:16, in reply to "Re: Lack of Fitters on Tyneside To Stan"

Please refrain from your tirade enough is enough.

We as a country have, lost a lot of our skilled Labour because of globalisation.

Allan C.

Re: Ernie

Posted by Stan wears on December 7, 2022, 16:14:11, in reply to "Ernie"

Thanks Allan. I don't mean to be sounding offensive but I, like you, care about skills. However I don't need to be slagged off such as the sage building,and the recent testos job when I haven't built them. I only engineered them but proud of them. I agree with what you say but put it wrongly and apologise to all.

Re: Ernie

Posted by Sheila on December 7, 2022, 17:19:09, in reply to "Re: Ernie"

Stan,I understand and support you. I can only think he is a father, proud of his son. He should rethink his comments.

Re: Ernie

Posted by William N on December 7, 2022, 18:05:26, in reply to "Re: Ernie"

Stan,I was Head of Design prior to retirement for Mott McDonald the designers of the Sage Gateshead
I can not recall a Stan Wears being involved in the team. You said in your post you engineered it,which part ?

Re: Ernie

Posted by Stan wears on December 7, 2022, 18:59:51, in reply to "Re: Ernie"

Sorry I was never part of the Sage building. I was the resident engineer for for the Baltic Mill. It was a hard drive But no matter who were in life we were engineers. I do think we were the cream but maybe I feel today's engineers could learn a little more. Sorry if I have upset you and your family but I'm 76 and probably not a new world fitter! I didn't manage the roundabout and nor could I have engineered it! I've enjoyed life but managed lots of big works I'm my time because I've been lucky. Very lucky ! Yes I went through a stage where I couldn't get a job because that is the way the world was in 2000. Qualification meant nothing. Graft did. I appreciate today's lad no matter what but they have been cheated of real a older worlde engineering trade. I appreciate your comments but not a slag off for the 60 years I've worked hard to get to the top.

Re: Ernie and Stan

Posted by Tom Barker on December 7, 2022, 18:22:30, in reply to "Re: Ernie"

Leaving school in 1955 lucky enough to have had a great education at Cleggwell secondary modern 1950 -55 part of the corickulum was apart from the 3 Rs was hands on away from the desk and and in to the practical class that being our woodwork teacher mr Lees,where l remember making a teapot stand for my mother,there was mr Ellis our metalwork teacher and l always remember we all had a go at the lathe and l managed to turn on the lathe a poker for the fireside at home with the poker handle being laminated in coloured plastic,l am sure there will be a few board members who went to Clegwell in those days maybe did the same.
In 1955-61 I served my time as a woodcutting machinist at Palmers shipyard learning all asspects of machines one being woodturning which l loved from my time at Clegwell during my school days,
coming out of my time in 1961 l emigrated to Australia on reaching Sydney within 3 days l got a job as a woodturner,which just a small part of my apprenticeship,so lhave to thank Clegwell Hebburn Palmers for giving me the tools to make a new life for myself,l always look back and reflect and think l was fortuneate to get an apprenticeship there was lots of shipbuilding engineerings mining Jimmy Nails song Big River he sings NOT NOW and that's how it is in 2022 the world has changed we do not have the 3 Rs what we have mobile phones no such thing as apprenticeship no need to spell no need add and subtract no pen to paper it's a different world there is some thing wrong when a person can have a crash course on plumbing heating etc and get a white van .The youngsters of today l think are missing out although there are thousands of jobs vacant especially in the building trade i.e. Brickies electricians unfortunatly no shipbuilders.thats a sad fact,I agree with Stan And Ernie they both have a point they made it and no falling out that's what his board is all about lads. Cheers tb

Re: Ernie and Stan

Posted by Geordieboy ns on January 1, 2023, 14:26:06, in reply to "Re: Ernie and Stan"

For Tom Barker, I also served my time at Palmers woodworking shop, the woodworking machine end of the shop from 1950 to June 1955, then emigrated to Canada . NEVER OUT OF WORK , Ended up managing a large mass produ tion woodworking plant in Toronto . My ideal job loved going to work, thanks to my roots at Palmers .

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[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

Rules! No party Politics,swearing,derogatory remarks or we delete. Anyone sharing our content on Face Book must credit 'Hebburn and our Neighbours'.