TRAINING AN APPRENTICE

When a professional luthier takes on someone new, the amount of learning needed to become a trusted employee can be overwhelming. Sarah Kluge explains her method of training an apprentice from scratch, including an essential list of dos and don’ts

Sarah Kluge (left) shows intern Jordan Smith how to sharpen a blade

SARAH KLUGE

Over the past two decades of violin making, I have become a professional learner. In my role as head of a workshop, I need to work alongside my colleagues while at the same time maintaining the role of team leader. In the process, I have discovered how this mindset of leader–partner translates from industry to industry, and from teacher to student. (Given my other role as a trainer of horses, I’ve even realised how it extends to different species!) Before training as a restorer more than 20 years ago, I worked for a time in human resources where I was exposed to matters such as ‘training scales’ and the ideas I explain in this article. They have helped me during my own apprenticeship, through to owning my own shop and my participation on the board of the Violin Society of America. I also found it helpful when I was setting up my own musical charity.

I believe that the rules and guidelines described here can inspire learners to participate fully in workshop matters, and grow more quickly by preparing the way both psychologically and developmentally.

Make it hard to do the wrong thing

The basic purpose of this principle is to be able to leave your team alone while they are on task. Proper care and attention make it harder to do the wrong things: for instance, cleaning and environmental preparation will help to prevent accidents of slipping. So, add a mat and keep the work surfaces clean. It is now more difficult to do the wrong thing. Finally: don’t use punishment to ‘make the wrong things hard’.

This is the first principle for a reason. All the other rules you introduce should support this one, and it encompasses some of the most basic principles. Always announce when using power tools; always label a customer’s case and fittings; always set expectations for the customer before they leave, and so on. Always support your work.

Don’t let things build up

Any luthier will know that a workshop can be a place of tension; maybe customers have spent too long waiting to be served, for instance. As soon as the immediate difficulty is over and done with, you need to give yourself a breather to relax and support yourself. Letting things build up will just make it easier to do the wrong thing (see above). And once someone’s behaviour has changed, let it go! Don’t expect future failure or that is what you will get.