Operations

Learning Trades on the Job

In the beginning, most new employees started in apprentice roles at the power station. Learning how to work with new power generating technology was part of the job.

Apprentices worked closely with senior tradesmen that typically had military backgrounds. They were expected to listen carefully and ensure their stations were always clean and organized. The more an apprentice demonstrated they could keep up with senior tradesmen, the more trade skills they were taught. 

Learning trades on the job was not always a smooth process, however. Some senior tradesmen wanted to protect the knowledge they had because they feared being replaced by incoming apprentices; not all were keen on training new employees. It was only with the utmost trust and respect that an apprentice would learn all the trade secrets.