Kids today do not want a hard, dirty job for little pay. They want a job playing computer games in an air conditioned office that has a skateboard ramp. That office will never get built without the qualified trades people. I recently read in a trade magazine that in the next seven years, there will be a need for 84,000 more electricians then there are available today. I do not think that number includes the losses through retirement and such.
Getting through an aprenticeship program is not an easy task however when you "pay your dues" it is a rewarding career that is always changing.
sparkyinak,
Good post mate,
Oddly enough, there isn't a day goes by here in NZ where there isn't an ad on TV or the radio about getting yourself a degree in IT or Law or Business Studies and unfortunately for the trades here, the kids are falling for it hook, line and sinker.
Kids these days want to take the shortest path possible to the good money and with an education system here where there are no real fail marks given out, it makes me wonder just how good this "training" really is.
There has been a distinct lack of tradespeople here for years and it isn't going to just go away over night, other side of the coin though, you can't force people to work in a trade where they may not be suited to the work, that would just be stupidity.
Sparkyinak, sure we've all been through the hard times of the apprenticeship and that is what a lot of prospective apprentices look at, is the bad money and think that it is par for the course once you come out of your time.
Things got heaps better for me once I finished my time, I worked around quite a few other places, slowly building up experience in how other factories and processes work and that is the one thing I love about my chosen career, you are always picking up new skills and you never stop learning.
I would sooner be doing what I am than say, standing in a factory watching tins of food go past on a conveyor belt, any day!.
