ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Wannabe.....( rant ! )

This may be a bit off topic, but it stays with the spirit of the topic.

I am still attending an electrician’s course at a local (70 miles) technical school to enhance my OJT and work experience with "book learning". The courses have been good to great, but we have the proverbial 10% of students that wouldn’t know their butts from a hole in the ground.

Most of these guys drop out, but a few have stayed on and are actually getting “passed” on (just like the California public schools). They are getting Ds and Cs, but the instructors are passing them just to avoid the BS that comes with tossing these idiots out.

The school is over all a good one, but I can’t help but think whether I want to be associated with it, especially if an outfit had the misfortune to hire one of these idiots that got “passed on” and I want to work for them as well.

Yes, I have made my thoughts known and have been given a load of BS in response.

Steve

Steve,

I think your experiences are reflecting what is beginning to occur in the trades,

the JATC is quietly lowering their standards in order to satisfy the contractors need of replacements for the retiring "boomers" ........

and there are not enough young folks who want to work any harder than they have to.........and Doofy certainly exhibits those qualities, even though he is in his 40's

plus, supervision is encouraging his behavior by putting blinders on when he starts doing something and screws it up....they say..."oh well, he's learning."

Togol

“Steve,
I think your experiences are reflecting what is beginning to occur in the trades,
the JATC is quietly lowering their standards in order to satisfy the contractors need of replacements for the retiring "boomers" ........”

I also see it as a failure of the public school systems, as (from what I have seen and IMHO) those that don’t get it also don’t have even a “basic” (I do mean basic” understanding of math and set procedures.

I have had some of these kids (if you’re under 30 you’re a kid…grin) ask me what fractions are, could not understand that 2/8th is the same as ¼, could literally not read a tape, and could not understand why a particular formula could only be used in certain conditions, etc., etc. I was almost at a loss for words.

I have also noticed (again, IMHO) that there was a lot of “you owe me” attitude with some of the kids.

Steve