Anyone go to the EITB training centre on Petre St

[Space 10]

Yeah I was there in about 1990ish, still in engineering now doing stuff on CNC machines..

 

I remember Mr. Savage and the other bloke in charge, I'm sure they would remember me too because I used to make their lives a bloody misery along with Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Owen

 

Was a great place and I still have yet to have a sarnie that matches those from Anne's Cafe caravan thing outside!!

 

Shame its shut down, how can people actually learn engineering hands-on instead of theory work and number crunching without a place like that?

[merv 10]

I rekon it must have been 1971 when I was there too. Don't remember too many names but became good friends with a few people there. Also did day release at Stannington College.

I was there sometime after that. It was 73/74. I was an apprentice with Millspaugh, big engineering firm now covered by a car park at Meadowhall. There must have been between 250 to 300 lads there from memory. Not many lads played up like me and a few others and I'm amazed I got Apprentice of the year. £20 book token and a micrometer on a stand. They wern't expecting to see an apprentice welder win it! Some of the names you mention are familiar, Mr Savage (Sal) Finchy, Cawthorne and yes Wingnut!

Like you set me up for a great career in engineering and enjoyed evey minute.

I'm in the Midlands but still remember it all those years ago.

Is it still there?

[Beamish 19]

Yeah I was there, '79 to '80.

Was taught how to 'Turn'. Loved it and managed to stay in engineering, even through the eighties when the engineering industry in Sheffield was decimated.

Top instructors I remember were Mick Cattell, Barry Hancock and Harry? Methley.

Great days.

 

Chris (Grizzly, for anybody that remembers my nickname).

[curlie 10]

I was at the EITB from the day it first opened in 1967 (I think) What an exciting time!

Crickey where do I start? Well we were all segregated into various classes depending on our final engineering classification and on which firm were sending us there, eg electrical companies, heavy steel works, welding firms, toolmakers etc. We then trained in the various sections for about 6 months I think, then we specialised on the section that our various firms had sent us there to train on. The electrical section was run by a Mr King, (who was later put in charge of the EITB) There were about 4 or 5 of our class including me, who wired up all the benches power supplies and other panels in the electrical section for future use by trainees. Talk about cheap labour!

I was also asked to make and present a pair of stainless steel shackle openers(no, I don't know what they were used for either) to HRH Prince Phillip when he came to officially open the EITB. That was the first and hopefully the last time I've had my photo in the Star. I made lifelong friends and got a good engineering education at the same time, something that is sadly lacking in the engineering industry today. Anyway, I hope that I have jogged a few memories with my ramblings.

[seanc 10]

i was there 79 80 remember throwing our stupid caps over the balcony on our last day and then the instructors taking us to i think the midland pub just down the way most of us underage

[freestyle1 10]

I was there in 70 to 71 for the full years training with day release at granville.It was a good introduction to engineering and I am still at it.Now managing a toolroom for a large japanese bearing manufacturer!I remember wingnut in the stores and a guy called Swift who I think was one of the turning trainers.Think it was him who had an old 1940s style MG midget that was his pride and joy.While I was there somebody managed to blow a couple of fingers off by filling a length of pipe with aceteline and then lighting it!can't remember his name though.Also recall a leaking oxygen cylinder that the instructors carried out to the car park where the fire brigade promptly bollocked them for doing so.

Anbody else remember this?

[man in van 10]

remember it well,think i was at eitb around 1974.seem to remember mr swift but i think he was teaching welding,he used to swing a hammer around his head and then put his hand onto the steel in the middle of the bench,spread out his fingers ond with the same ball pain hammer strike the block inbetween each finger very fast and very hard while looking around at everyones face and not at his hand.l Loads of the lads after watching him and trying this ended up with black nails. Made a lot of good mates there, think it was the day we finnished everyone in high spirits and one of the lads i became good mates with was killed on his way home. He came of his motor bike on Tinsley viaduct,can anyone remember this.

[leninmexboro 10]

I did 2 years there, 1988 - 90, anyone else?

 

Can anyone recall the names of the intructors?

 

I was an adult trainee on the E.T.(Employment Training scheme) in 1989 doing a welding/fabricating course under the very able Dave Finch. Our group had a very enjoyable time learning a new trade. The course was aimed at training people to weld to BS4872 standard and be certificated on completion. I recall that we clubbed up and bought Dave a bottle of whisky at the termination of the course, such was our appreciation of him. Memories of some fun times and 'Finchy's' motto "WORK CLEAN-WORK TIDY-WORK SAFE" have stayed with me since then. These past 20years since that course have past quickly but the memories are still fresh and all my written work from it is still with me.

[kevvv 10]

i was there around 84 to 85. In turning lesson my mate left the chuck key in and started the machine, sending the chuck key just past his head into a metal cupboard!!!

[leninmexboro 10]

I can well imagine his response to the old chuck key missile stunt Kev, having seenhim sort out the odd miscreant now and again

[kevvv 10]

i was there on a yts and one thing i remember is the clocking out on a friday, it was a mass scrum to get clocked out, the reason being that we all got paid cash from barclays in town[25 quid] and everyone was desperate to get their hands on it and spend it at one of the city pubs,usually the marples.

[leninmexboro 10]

Fridays, yeah. More popular than a beer with some, was a sauna. Horrible smokey places those welding boothes were even though the fume extraction was always on.