The SAC Contract

Encouraging young people to enter our hobby is critical to the survival of road steam. Without them we will see fewer and fewer people with the skills to safely and correctly maintain and operate the engines we love.  

Offering an apprentice 1 hour today could ignite their own love of steam and secure our hobby in the future.   

We recognise that creating time for apprentices takes effort.  The principles set out below seek to value that effort and ensure mutual respect for everyone involved.  Please follow them to ensure a great experience for everyone. 

Apprentices should: 

1. Appreciate the engine and crew, and the opportunity to work with them
2. Be curious and do not be afraid to ask lots of questions.
3. Bring your SAC Logbook with you and use it with the engine driver / crew
4. Listen to the engine driver/instructor and follow any instructions  – if you do not know or understand then ask ask
5. All the jobs are important and many happen when the engine is still. Value those jobs as much as steering or driving.
6. If the engine is moving, lots of attention is needed to avoid hurting yourself or others. Listening and ensuring that you feel safe are essential. Tell the engine owner if you are anxious at any point.
7. When you start to get tired please let your parents or the engine owner know. You will have other opportunities.

Parents should:

1. Appreciate the engine and driver/instructor and crew for taking the time to teach the apprentice
2. You are responsible for the behaviours of your apprentice at all times so please stay nearby and be available if needed.
3. Ensure the apprentice has food/drinks as needed
4. Check in with the driver/instructor regularly to see if they are happy for the apprentice to continue – aim to give the driver / crew a break after an hour or so
5. Let the driver/instructor know if they think the Apprentice has had enough 
6. Check in with any SAC reps on site, if they are looking for opportunities to get their Apprentice experience on an engine 
7. Ensure their child has suitable gloves, boots and goggles, some old rag in their pocket and if possible overalls of the correct size or long trousers of hard wearing cloth.
8. If at any point you are concerned that your apprentice is struggling or unsafe please politely speak to the engine owner and remove them if necessary.
9. At times there may be physical contact with your apprentice (ie lifting to see part of the engine). If you are not happy for this, or become concerned, please speak to the engine owner or remove them and come to speak to us.

Parents will be welcomed in offering volunteering support to the club at shows but it should be noted that this will not result in preferential treatment for their children

Engine drivers and crew should:

1. Let the SAC know if they are willing to show apprentices their engines and spend time building up their experience (as little as 30 minutes is still greatly appreciated)

1. Check in with the apprentice and parent/guardian – introduce yourself, learn the apprentice’s name, ask what experience they have and reinforce safety advice
2. Ask if there is anything the apprentice would like to learn from their logbook and sign it if they successfully demonstrate a task
3. Be patient and remember they were also a learner at some point 
4. Try to explain what they are doing and why, and if possible, ask the apprentice to have a go at doing this for themselves and check in that the apprentice is ok
5. Consider what is appropriate in regards to where they position themselves in regards to the apprentice to be safe whilst avoiding body contact as far as possible – if they need to physically assist the apprentice they should ask if the apprentice is ok with them doing so
6. Feel comfortable in saying they need a break or telling an apprentice / their parent when they think the apprentice has had enough time on their engine – feel free to direct them back to the SAC stand if we are present at a show
7. The age of apprentices varies hugely – if you are uncomfortable with having very young apprentices on your engine please just say so
8. If you are unhappy with the behaviour of an apprentice or parent please speak to us.

Any help that you can offer will be appreciated. This can be offering for an apprentice to join you for an agreed duration or simply stopping at the SAC stand (where present) and allowing an apprentice to join you by sitting in the tender or standing on the footplate for a short time. If you are happy to help in any way please speak to us.

The SAC will:

1. Try to attend as many rallies as we can
2. Facilitate as many opportunities for apprentices to gain engine experience as possible 
3. Ensure we have safeguards in place for apprentices like police checks and safe guarding training for our regular volunteers, risk assessments etc. (see our Safe Guarding policy)
4. Provide advice support to engine drivers which help them feel comfortable in having apprentices on their engines
5. Improve learning opportunities and experiences for apprentices 
6. Work with other parties to overcome barriers to entry for apprentices
7. Treat our apprentices, their parents, engine drivers and our volunteers with respect and welcome all to our hobby