Guys....I can dig everything said. I wish that I had an answer to this problem. I can only offer this. As long as money is the driving force behind the "pace" of the construction industry, this problem will always exist. That said. I think it is safe to say that this problem will always exist in some form. It would be easy to say that companies should "foot the bill" to train their people. The fact is....they should shoulder some of the cost of training. But, as we all know, some (or many) companies don't. You may ask, "Where are headed with this Doc?" In my opinion, we (the individual) must take matters into our hands, and train ourselves by way apprenticeship programs, junior colleges, ECN, etc.
I work for a company that doesn't train their people. I came from a background of extensive training. For quite some time, I felt sorry for our untrained workers. Then something happened. I found out that many of our employees didn't want submit themselves to training. They didn't want to do the things necessary to be trained. Old Doc quit feeling sorry for those guys. I don't feel guilty because I'm trained, and they aren't.
I do try to help those who want to be trained. To all you apprentices out there, that are being "used and abused", hang in, and stay the course. The old saying, "This too shall pass" is true. I don't want this post to sound like I'm "in the same corner" as these companies. I just believe that the choice is ours, and we must choose to invest in our own education and training.
It's happening everywhere,
Doc
