Working for dad as an apprentice

Working for dad as an apprentice, by Jim Hicks managing director of Amplicon

Way, way back in 1960 aged 17 along with five other young lads I was signed up by my Dad for five years as an indentured student apprentice.

It meant I couldn’t leave and in return they would train me and send me on day release to technical college. My pay for the first year was £3 10s a week plus 6 pence per day canteen vouchers. My mum took £1 for my keep, the HP on my moped took £1, petrol was 5 shillings (25p) and so after paying 6 pence graduated pension and 3 pence to the Sports and Social Club I lived like a king!

On day one I turned up in a suit to become an electronics engineer and they put me in the machine shop. There I learned two things firstly how to cut, form, drill, punch, turn and mill metal and secondly my place in the pecking order at the tea trolley. I soon knew the difference between ally, steel, brass and copper and because I was willing to learn began to win respect from the skilled men who went out of their way to teach me all they knew.

That was how it worked, I was an apprentice, they had all been apprentices and an apprentice was the future of the industry.

As the years rolled by I was moved round the firm. Wiring shop, paint shop, test, coil winding, stores, accounts, service, drawing office, planning, inspection, and finally into the development labs.

The company was Rank Cintel employing about 1,000 people in South London making a diverse range of instruments, military hardware and professional television studio equipment.

There were a lot of memorable days but I’ve never forgotten when I was poking about in a high voltage live chassis with a pencil and the head of department shouted across so everyone could hear “Hicks, what the bloody hell do you think you are doing with that wood encased resistor?” The point was taken and maybe my life saved!

I owe those people, an enormous debt of gratitude. They taught me so much about an electronics company that I went on to start my own.

The apprenticeship set me up on a path of lifelong learning that I have followed ever since. So I try to repay the debt by training others, passing on my knowledge and whenever I can, persuading others to be openminded to new ideas and to never stop learning.