The latest confirmed development in apprentice bench is that a field check has compared the written rule with the place where it is used. The update comes from the shared apprentice bench below the north furnace; officials have not announced a permanent change to the rule.
Kelva Orr, master smith responsible for the shared bench, confirmed 66 apprentices who completed a supervised tool check in the latest file. The previous count was 66. The figures do not yet resolve whether the city’s training mark should certify completed hours or demonstrated skill.
The unresolved point is specific: Masters favor observed work; apprentices say a single test can hide what they have learned across a full season. No finding has established that either account is final.
The current arrangement remains in place. The office has not said whether it will change before the next review.
NEXT UPDATE: The guild will trial a portfolio of completed pieces beside the bench examination. The file will be updated when the second check is complete; until then, the confirmed record is narrower than the claims around it.
