Journeyman Guide

Contents

Overview
Who the Scheme is for
Parties Concerned and their Obligation
Qualifications Required
Applications to be a Journeyman
Selection
The Journey
Seeking Freedom
The Position of a Journeyman
Entry Fees and Subscriptions
The Agreement and Induction
Post Freedom

1. Overview

The Journeyman scheme of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers is designed to assist young people to develop their career after their initial education and training and to enhance their case to be considered as suitable to join the Company as Freemen. The scheme provides the Company with younger applicants for Freedom who have demonstrated their career progression towards becoming leading practitioners in a formalised framework of review.

Individuals apply to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers and on acceptance join the Company for a defined period as a Journeyman. The term Journeyman derives from “journey” in terms of travel and from “journée” the length of the day. In its original trade sense a Journeyman is a man or women who is sufficiently experienced and qualified to work for an employer but not yet a master in his own right. In other words it is a stage (on a journey) intermediate between basic knowledge of a trade and full mastership thereof. In this scheme Journeyman is an intermediate stage between initial education/training and work experience and proceeding to the Freedom of the Company as an experienced professional. Provision is made for the self employed to be Journeymen. The term Journey is used to cover the activities of the Journeyman over the period concerned.

Essentially the Journey is a period of defined length of monitored career development. The Journeyman takes responsibility for his own development but has the support of a member of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers who agrees to be his Journey Mentor. There is a Journey Agreement, to which the parties are the Journeyman, the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers and the Mentor. The Journeyman maintains a log of his main activities and achievements and collects a six monthly endorsement from his employer of the accuracy of the log. The Journey Mentor is responsible both for assisting the Journeyman as a guide and mentor and for reviewing progress on behalf of the Company.

The normal Journey duration is three years, but other periods can be permitted in special circumstances. At the end of the Journey the log and a Journey Completion Summary are important evidence for the Journeyman to submit in support of his application for Freedom.

2. Who the Scheme is for

The scheme is for persons who have obtained a qualification or completed an apprenticeship, normally between the ages of 22 and 30, who wish to develop their lighting, electrical and management skills and experience in a supported environment and to enhance their future application for Freedom of the Company. In this document the form “he and his” should be taken as interchangeable with “she and her”.

3. Parties Concerned and their Obligations

Journeyman
Participants joining the Scheme are known as Journeymen of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers. Journeymen will be able to demonstrate proven ability in their chosen area of the lighting or electrical profession or industry and will be mature and capable of taking responsibility for their own career development, albeit supported by employer and/or other development schemes. A Journeyman must:

seek a Sponsor (potential Journey Mentor), or request the Company to propose a Sponsor, and apply to be a Journeyman;
plan and document his career development and training;
prepare half year logs of his main activities and training in the period, together with planned learning objectives for the next period;
gain employer signed endorsement as to the accuracy of the logs;
keep his Journey Mentor fully informed of planned and actual progress, provide him with a timely copy of each half years log and gain his endorsement;
discuss any significant career steps with his Journey Mentor to help ensure that the proposed move represents a career or experience enhancement (where there is a potential conflict of interest the Journeyman may consult, through the Clerk, another Member of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers instead);
make time available to discuss progress with the Journey Mentor, be proactive in gaining advice from his Journey Mentor, and listen diligently to his guidance;
carry out his work in a professional manner and with the diligence expected of a leading practitioner and a potential Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers;
collate the set of logs, as endorsed by the employer and the Journey Mentor, at the end of the agreed Journey period and submit them with the Journey Completion Summary form to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers when applying for Freedom.

The Journeyman will also be eligible to participate in Company events and will be expected to attend at least one each year.

Journey Mentor
The Journey Mentor is a Freeman or Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers. His role is to provide advice, support and mentoring to the Journeyman both on developing his professionalism and on wider aspects of participating in the industry and the activities of the Company. At the end of the Journey, he makes recommendations to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers as to the Journeyman’s suitability for membership.

The Journey Mentor role is easiest to fulfil where the Mentor has ready geographic access to the Journeyman, a strong appreciation of the Journeymans field of professional focus and an effective on going dialogue with the Journeymans employer. These conditions are obviously conveniently met if the Mentor works for the Journeyman’s employer. On the other hand the Journeyman – and the employer – may see benefit in having an external, more independent, Mentor. The Mentors role is a personal one and can be provided by any Freeman or Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, over 35 years of age, willing to carry out the responsibilities and accepted by the Company as having the relevant experience. It includes:

Confirming willingness to take on the role for the particular applicant – before his approval for a Journey – i.e. becoming the Sponsor.
Meeting the Journeyman at the outset, at least once per year thereafter and at the end of the Journey. Encouraging regular interim communication on both a formal and informal basis.
Reviewing the Journeyman’s plans for self-development and providing feedback.
Making himself available by way of meetings, telephone or other means of communication to give the Journeyman personal advice on issues facing him, on his career and on participation in Worshipful Company of Lightmongers events.
Reviewing, endorsing and returning log sheets to the Journeyman.
Helping the Journeyman to fulfil his responsibilities to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers and assisting the Clerk, if so needed, in communicating with the Journeyman in any matter relating to the Company.
Reporting to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers if the Journeyman is seen to be failing in his responsibilities or behaving in any way significantly incompatible with the Journey.
Recommending to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, based on observations over the Journey and on the logs, whether the individual has successfully completed the Journey and is a suitable candidate for Freedom.
Providing a brief annual report to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers on progress.

The responsibility of the Journey Mentor is for the duration of the Journey. It therefore continues through any change of employment by the Journeyman or Journey Mentor. After such changes or the move of a Journeyman or a Journey Mentor to inconvenient relative locations, or where conflicts of interest arise, the Journey Mentor may identify another member of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers (if necessary with the help of the Company) who is in a better position to complete the duties and recommend their re-allocation. Transfer of the Journey Mentor role is subject to prior approval of the Company.

Employer (and self employment)
As the Journeyman’s is a mature role, the scheme is open to both those in employment and those who are partners or self employed.

Where the Journeyman is employed, Journeys are best carried out with the active support of the employer. However within the scheme the employers only function is to agree to review and endorse the accuracy and fullness of logs.

Many employers will see the Journey as being of additional benefit to their organisation through the Journeys contribution to the Journeyman and thereby to the employer, and may elect to support the Journeyman with any expenses, including attending events, and to maintain regular contact with the Journey Mentor.

Self-employment for Journeymen is an option recognised by the Scheme and requires a different mechanism for the endorsement of logs – see 7 below.

Worshipful Company of Lightmongers:
The Worshipful Company of Lightmongers role is the direction and management of the Scheme, the acceptance of applicant Journeymen and their proposed Journey Mentors and the determination of a satisfactory conclusion to the Journey. Where there is a need for the Journeyman or the Mentor to communicate with the Company, or request action by the Company, contact should be made via the Clerk. A committee (herein referred to as the Livery Committee) of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers manages the scheme and provides operational direction on behalf of the Company.

The Worshipful Company of Lightmongers will maintain processes to:

Manage the Scheme through the Livery Committee
Seek members to volunteer to act as Journey Mentors for those cases where a suitable applicant does not know a current member willing to sponsor him and qualified to be his Journey Mentor
Select/reject applicants to be Journeymen, together with their Journey Mentors
Provide Journey Agreements.
Provide relevant communications to Journeymen as provided to other Worshipful Company of Lightmongers members.
Terminate Journeys where the conditions of the Journey Agreement have not been met.

The Scheme is set up so that the activity during the Journey is driven by the Journeyman, supported by his Journey Mentor. During the Journey the role of the Journeyman Committee is to review any special circumstances which may arise and take appropriate decisions.

4. Qualifications Required

An appropriate Degree or Diploma , or
A recognised Apprenticeship, or
Work experience in the profession or industry with achievements indicating equivalent learning and capabilities to the above, or
Recommendation of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers Livery Committee to apply to participate in the scheme

Applicants should normally be at least 22 years old.

5. Applications to be a Journeyman

Applicants to become Journeymen should, where employed, seek the support of their employers and should where possible seek out and gain the agreement of a Freeman or Liveryman of the Company to sponsor their application (and thus to be their Journey Mentor if accepted).

Before sponsoring an applicant the member of the Company needs to ensure that the applicant is well known to him and is suitable, or alternatively that his suitability has been established through rigorous interviewing; that there is a reasonable plan/strategy for the Journey; and that the Sponsors experience is relevant to the applicants field of professional focus.

Applicants should submit an application on the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers Journeyman application form to the Clerk of the Company, countersigned by the Sponsor. The Company will review the application and may seek confidential further input from the Sponsor, the applicant and/or the employer. The application should make clear, in the Journey Plan section, what career development benefits the applicant intends to achieve from the Journey, and in outline how they are to be sought. It should also offer evidence, in the Relevant Work Experience and Other Achievements sections, on the applicants potential to be a leading practitioner of the future. Applicants will be informed of the results of the review, and the Journey will start when all the parties have signed the Journey Agreement.

Where an applicant is unable to identify a Sponsor he may submit an application indicating that he would wish support from the Company in finding a Sponsor. The application will be subject to a preliminary review and if it is successful at this stage the Company will seek a volunteer Journey Mentor and put the applicant and the volunteer in touch. On their mutual agreement the application should be resubmitted, countersigned by the Sponsor. Applicants who are unable to identify their own Journey Mentor should recognise that their application may be deferred or not accepted, irrespective of its merit, if the Company is unable readily to identify a suitable volunteer.

Members of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers are encouraged to suggest to suitable individuals in their organisation or other suitable individuals known to them that they apply to be Journeymen. They may themselves act as Sponsors, or find a suitable Sponsor with the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers help if necessary. Thus applications to be Journeyman can be initiated by either applicants or members of the Company.

On occasion a member of the Company who knows an applicant well may wish to support the application for the scheme but not to put himself forward as the Sponsor/potential Journey Mentor. In such circumstances the member (as Proposer) should seek to identify a suitable Sponsor, arrange for the Sponsor to interview the applicant and in due course join with the Sponsor in proposing the applicant.

6. Selection

There will be a limited number of vacancies each year for new Journeymen. Selection of Journeymen from the applicants is the responsibility of the Livery Committee of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers. Selection will be on the basis of the applicants qualifications and achievements to date and the Journey plan as presented in the Application. The Committee or a representative may interview the applicant, and/or his Sponsor and/or his Proposer thereof. If for any reason it is considered that the Sponsor does not have sufficient relevant experience to be the applicants Journey Mentor the application may be deferred until a suitable Journey Mentor is found.

7. The Journey

Length of Journey
The normal Journey duration is three years. Those recommended to take a Journey on referral by the Livery Committee may have specific other periods recommended by that Committee. The Livery Committee may extend Journeys in certain circumstances.

Formal reporting
For a Journey to contribute to the evidence supporting an application for Freedom the Journeyman is required to complete certain reporting requirements.

Firstly the Journeyman is required to agree and maintain communication with the Journey Mentor, in order to keep the Journey Mentor regularly informed about plans and progress through the Journey.

Secondly he is required to complete a log reflecting activities and achievements, together with forward development plans, and to submit a copy to the Journey Mentor every six months. The log needs to be countersigned as accurate and complete – for each six month or shorter period of time – by the Journeymans employer. The individual signing on behalf of the employer needs to be a manager or director senior to the Journeyman and in a position to verify the log and recognise and comment on any lack of completeness. The Journeyman should identify such employer to the Journey Mentor in advance.

Where the Journeyman is self-employed, or is the Chief Executive or Partner of an organisation, special arrangements for “employer” endorsement of the log need to be agreed with the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers and the Journey Mentor in advance. This may involve seeking other endorsement of relevant elements of the Journeymans log and some extra validation of it by the Journey Mentor.

The Journey Mentor is required to provide a brief annual report to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers summarising progress and certifying that logs have been prepared and reviewed over the whole period since the last report.

Completing the Journey
At the end of the specified period for the Journey the Journeyman and the Journey Mentor should meet to review the Journey, the experience gained and the logs. They should complete the Journey Completion form where they are asked to comment explicitly and openly as to the success of the Journey. The Journey Mentors review is concerned primarily with his view of progress made and any additional comments that complement the log: the comments on the Journey Completion form are not intended to be concerned with judgements on readiness to apply for Freedom. The Journeyman must submit the full set of logs and the Journey Completion Summary form to the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers.

At or before the completion review either the Journeyman or the Journey Mentor may suggest an extension to the Journey period to address specific items, or to complete an important task in progress at that time. Extensions of up to six months can be set by agreement between the Journey Mentor and the Journeyman. Extensions over six months need to be approved by the Livery Committee.

If for any reason it is considered appropriate to suspend the Journey for a time (or it is recognised subsequently that there has been a period of de facto suspension), the Journey Mentor and Journeyman may so agree and extend the overall Journey by an equivalent time. If the suspension and consequent extension is over six months the Livery Committees agreement must be obtained as soon as it is realised that the time may exceed six months. Examples of reasons for suspension include extended illness, maternity absence, a period when relevant work is not expected to be addressed (e.g. a secondment to another field, or a sabbatical). The suspended period is noted but not detailed in the logs.

On successful completion the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers will award the Journeyman a Certificate noting his achievement.

8. Seeking Freedom

The expectation in granting Journeyman status is that a Journeyman will proceed to apply for Freedom shortly after completing the Journey. It is also expected, but not obligatory, that the Journey Mentor will propose or second such application, commenting on the results of the Journey as appropriate. Any Journeyman applying for Freedom is required to submit a copy of his Journey log with the application and to request the Journey Mentor (if he is not the Freedom proposer or seconder) to provide a letter of support to the Clerk.

In processing the Freedom application, the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers will consider the advice of the Livery Committee about the Journey. The Committee may elect to consult the Journey Mentor, in confidence, as part of their consideration of the application.

9. The Position of a Journeyman

Once accepted the individual becomes a Journeyman of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers. He remains a Journeyman until:

He becomes a Freeman, or
He resigns as a Journeyman, or
The Journey is terminated by the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, or
The Journey is completed and the Journeyman indicates that he does not intend to proceed with an application for Freedom within six months, or
The Journey is completed and six further months have elapsed.
The Journey is completed and an application for Freedom is rejected

If the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers receives a fully completed application for Freedom within the six months then the individual remains a Journeyman until his application has been accepted or rejected.

As the Journey is seen as an activity to help develop the individual, prepare him for Freedom and enhance his application for Freedom, it is one of the precepts of the Journey that individual Journeymen participate in Worshipful Company of Lightmongers events. The events and privileges open to Journeymen will be as defined from time to time, but generally include:

All receptions, lunches and dinners open to Freemen unless otherwise specified
All other unrestricted events organised by the Company
Inclusion in the circulation list for The Lightmonger and general information.

Journeymen are expected to attend at least one Company event per year (see page 4) and the Court has determined that attendance at the formal Members Dinner, normally held on the first Friday in November following the installation of the new Master, shall be free of charge. The standard members price will apply for all other functions.

10. Entry Fees and Subscriptions

The normal entry fee for membership will be waived for Journeymen and the annual subscription will be set at 25% (or such other percentage as may from time to time be agreed) of the current Members subscription for the duration of the Journey. Currently, the annual subscription is also waived for Journeymen.

On successful completion of the Journey and acceptance by the Company of the Journeymans application, the Journeyman will be admitted to the Freedom of the Company “by Servitude”. The reward for completion will be the grant of the Freedom without the normal payment.

It should be noted that any payments that may apply, e.g. for attendance at events, are a personal responsibility even if refunded by an employer or other party.

11. The Agreement and Induction

The Journeyman, once accepted, must enter into a formal Agreement before starting the Journey. The Agreement summarises the duties set out in this document, the start date of the Journey and the planned period. Parties to the Agreement are:

The Journeyman
The Journey Mentor
The Worshipful Company of Lightmongers

The Employer is also asked formally to acknowledge the Journey and to agree to review and endorse logs. There is no formal ceremonial for the induction of new Journeymen. Once accepted, Journeymen complete the Journey Agreement with their Journey Mentors and the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers.

12. Post Freedom

After admission as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Lightmongers, a former Journeyman who is already 30 years of age or over will be expected to apply for admission as a Liveryman of the Company for which the customary entry “fine” will be payable, with the standard annual subscription rate being applied thereafter.

A former Journeyman below the age of 30 will become a “Young Lightmonger” while continuing their professional development, participate fully in the activities of the Company and may be allocated certain duties. Their annual subscription is 50% (or such other percentage as may from time to time be agreed) of the current members subscription. At age 30, a Young Lightmonger is expected to apply for admission as a Liveryman, as above.

In either case, should the Freeman not wish or, for whatever reason, be unable to progress to Liveryman at this stage, providing the Court so agrees he may remain in membership as a Freeman and pay an annual subscription at the full rate then prevailing, starting in the year following that in which he attains his 30th birthday.