E is for... Electricians

The order of the day for Apprentice Electricians:

1. They swarm in, twenty strong, dressed like Zoolander with clothes they know still won't be dirty at the end of the day. 
2. They unplug your spider box from the transformer to make room for an indestructible Makita boombox with Point Blank / XFM / iPhone of club bangers pumping out,
3. They set up a walkie talkie system of similar complexity to the one used killing Bin Laden. They proceed to illustrate the effectiveness of said system in this one-bed flat you're all squeezed in, loudly barking "over and out - the lightbulb John, is it on?"
4. They plan the weekend. It's Monday, but they've got Cocos Saturday, and they've still got to save money before the big snowstorm in <insert Greek island here>.
5. Finally they duck down to work as the only qualified, desperately stressed electrician out of the whole battalion desperately races round, barking orders and wondering how it's possible to install a plug upside-down, a light inside-out, and an oven clock to Tahiti time all at once.

And then, do you think these apprentices ever wonder if life will still be such a joy when they turn 21, when their apprenticeships end and their perma-tanned gaffer has to choose between paying them a sparks rate or hiring another twenty teenagers and buying that Ferrari?

A bit sweeping perhaps. And electrics is a difficult, technical trade, surely the most continually evolving onsite. It's can only be getting more difficult too, as the specialisations become more specialised and the orgy of pointless tech becomes all the more depraved. We want wireless everything! That's so last year, now we want lightless lights!

And while I'm sure plenty of firms aren't this ruthless, and most apprentices know far more than I'm giving credit for, it's worth wondering where these 20 year old apprentices go when the government support stops. Any ideas?