What is so interesting about this apprenticeship is the way we get put into different departments and discover the many diverse roles that make up the team in the Museum service. Recently I have been assigned to the Restoration Department which deals with anything that needs looking after maintenance or restoration wise in the different buildings.

This department always has an array of things to do every day from inspecting the voids in the Pavilion to supervising contractors cleaning the fireplaces or hot water tanks.

The voids are areas between the domes of the Pavilion and need to be inspected for wear and tear etc. I made an important archaeological discovery the other day. In one of the voids we were inspecting I found a Coca Cola can circa 1986! It was really old, even older than me. I had a look at the label which listed only 4 ingredients and I thought that Coke must have been healthier then. However it was suggested to me that labelling now had to list every ingredient. I am not sure it will make the exhibits in the Museum.

I have really enjoyed working with all the various contractors I have met during the time I have been here. They all come with new skills and generally are very entertaining, informative and friendly. Unanimously they all appreciate and respect the uniqueness of the Pavilion and remind me of what a National Treasure we look after.

I have also discovered the concept of minutes in meetings which all sounds pretty obvious when you know about the importance of them, but it just hadn’t occurred to me before. I have also been using a laser to check the heat omitting from the radiators in Museum. This involved finding all the heat sources using a plan of the ground floor and measuring each one before recording the information. I felt almost like a scientist.

I have been involved in a small way with the opening of a new exhibition about how the Pavilion was turned into a hospital for Indian Troops. I attended one of the final meetings and I found it fascinating how all the different jobs came together to create the final product.

Perhaps the finest moment in my time here came when I was given the job of toilet seat installation, something that I have never done but have heard my dad moan about. I don’t know why he was complaining because I found the whole experience extremely rewarding. I think I did a good job and if there is a need will be asked to do it again.

Anyway back to the coalface as they say!

Zak

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We have been so busy the past few weeks that it would be impossible to write about it all! We’ve done everything from being involved (from a distance) with a blocked urinal, to repairing the mosaic floor of the Museum. I’m really enjoying working in Facilities Management. It great having such varied days and not knowing what’s about to happen! Having a more hands-on role on the estate is great as we’re getting to see every inch of the buildings and being able to see physical things we’ve achieved, such as the mosaic, is very rewarding.

I have been working a lot on the sustainability project that we have been set. I spent a lot of last week with an electricity meter measuring the costs of running various appliances found around the buildings. There were some very interesting results and Zak, Louise and I are on the case to make the buildings run much more eco-efficiently. I can’t write about any of our findings at the moment, but everything will be revealed eventually!

Cassie