general education with a satisfactory standard in mathematics. Qualities looked for are intelligence, skill with hands, particularly in the handling of very small parts, adaptability and initiative.

Apprenticeship
     Apprenticeship begins with a trial period of six to twelve months. If at the end of this period the apprentice has shown aptitude and liking for the work and is keen to continue his training, an indenture is signed. This is a formal agreement between the Board, the apprentice and his parents. Training then continues until the apprentice’s 21st birthday, by which time he should be a skilled craftsman.

Basic workshop training
     Initially, the apprentice is instructed in the care and use of various tools and how to use marking-out and fine-measurement instruments. He also gains practical experience in turning, shaping, drilling, milling and grinding with machine tools, and forging, welding and sheet metal work. This is followed by instruction in the use of instrument makers tools and in the making and assembling of small instrument parts. This training takes place at one of the Board’s apprentice schools, in a power station or in a technical college workshop, and normally lasts from six to ten months.

Subsequent practical training
     The apprentice continues his practical training in a power station under the guidance of skilled instrument mechanics. With them he gains experience of instruments connected with the boiler, turbo-generator and control operation. He learns how to check and adjust them on the equipment. He also becomes familiar with the layout of remote control systems and locates and corrects faults on instrument equipment if they occur in any part of the station. During this period of further training he will spend periods at one of the Board’s instrument workshops or possibly at a special instrument training school and in the works of an instrument manufacturer. As there are some 231 power stations up and down the country it is often possible for apprentices to be located near their homes.

Further education
     From the beginning of his training the apprentice is released with pay from work one day each week to attend a course of study at technical college. In some areas release may be given for a series of short full-time attendances at a college. The course usually taken by apprentice instrument mechanics not only supplements their practical training but also prepares them to take the City and Guilds of London Institute Certificate No. 79 in Instrument Maintenance. The basic course for this certificate normally lasts five years. The subjects covered are Instruments, Instrument Technology, Science and Calculations.
     A craft apprentice of exceptional ambition will occasionally attempt an Ordinary National Certificate in electrical engineering.