Experience for new starters - The bigger picture

[midge]

So just how should the country train new starters, not the courses, plenty of them if you have the money. I mean getting the practical experience needed in order to apply their trade.

With so few apprenticeships and the understandable concern of established tradesmen unwilling to mentor someone who is likely to be in direct competition soon after it is a problem. A problem not just for the individual but for the country as a whole, we need practical hands-on craftsmen and women, the older ones among us won't go on forever and I can foresee the great public turning towards unqualified cash-in-hand types in desperation to resolve whatever problem they are experiencing.

Maybe the whole training structure is flawed? If so, what should be done?

 

[stevetheplumber]

the problem is the same as for everything at the moment everyone wants instant gratification
Trainees want to be fully qualified is 6 weeks so they can earn
Companies want fully trained engineers to earn them money from day 1 but dont want to invest in training
we had a great system of apprentiships and technical colleges which worked on every level turning out trades men with enough experience to do the job

 

[ambrosia]

if youve got money you can be gas safe register within 6 months, colleges even sort out your portfolio these days
and that cant be a healthy way forward,
but you cant blame the people trying to get qualified and start a new career, its the system and the colleges which are in the wrong

 

[tamz]

Apprentice numbers and traditional routes into the trade are down because the work and demand is not there but there is definitely no shortage of new entrants. More an over supply of badly trained inexperienced people being turned out by training centres. I think this is where the main fault lies.
It was always about supply and demand. More taken on in busy times and less in quiet times.
This has all changed as people, even 16 year old school leavers, think they can do a course and be a plumber. I can understand older ones changing careers and being sucked into the hype but school leavers should be being guided properly and told the facts.
Pushing so many kids into university who were never suited to it devalued degrees. Now there seems to be a trend to push youngsters into technical further education where it is still highly unlikely they will ever be a plumber or other trade if they don't get a job.
I suppose it keeps the dole numbers down for a bit.