US factory CEOs to Trump: Jobs exist; skills don't

This is interesting. So let's see if I'm understanding this correctly ...

In 4-6 weeks, we can teach a monkey to drive a 70 foot, 80k pound truck on busy North American roads with high exposure rates to dangerous conditions and high traffic densities, and with little to no direct supervision, but we can't teach people to do factory floor work in a controlled environment, while under constant direct supervision.

Is that what we're being told?

 

I think they're referring to positions that need skills a little more advanced then a general labor position. Before I started driving, the machine shop I worked for ran into this problem a lot. We were getting applicants with bare minimum math skills and basic blueprints confused them so much it made their brains hurt. We ended up just picking the likeliest candidates and teaching them what they needed to know. Someone remembered that I used to teach high school geometry and I got railed into being the training officer, ignoring the fact that I hated teaching which was why I worked in their dumb shop to begin with.

It worked out pretty well for not having any other choice but to grow our own employees. Eventually the owner got together with the other businesses in town and they started up a community education center that focused on teaching people things they could use to become more than a button pusher.

 

Another issue is finding people that can pass a drug test. Thats what I hear anyway. The increasing legalization of pot dosent help.

 

Also nobody wants to work for $15 per hour, make it $30 and people will start coming in. The problem now is at $30 per hour company can't compete with overseas manufacturing

 

Mike Rowe has been saying this for years. Plenty of jobs out there for people who are willing to learn a trade instead of spending 4-8 years in college only to put themselves in years of debt they might not be able to get a job to pay off.

 

If you look at the thread, "what did you do before driving". Tells our side of the story, and why.

I was offered a machining job a week ago. Due to no college and the location, they want to pay far less than an area that has more demand for manufacturing people. I declined, and hope the guy they do hire crashes a machine or two. You get what you pay for...

 

I agree, The hourly rate doesn't work out with the cost living. if groups shared a rental or lived in a tent, walked to and from work, kept clean wherever, etc etc they might make it. yeah there's a lack of skilked trade employees.

 

Raising the minimum wage doesn't help the situation, either. Where are people with no education, no skills, and no experience supposed to go when what they bring to the table isn't worth what employers are being forced to pay? This leads to high youth unemployment, so they go to college to get "educated" running up debt. Now, they are an overly qualified fry cook with $50,000 in student loans living with their parents because they still are unqualified for any decent paying job.

Couple that with atrocious educational policies (no child left behind, common core, etc.) where students are taught to the test (because that's what the SCHOOL is graded on) instead of basic logic and critical thinking skills. That and the "everybody is a winner" philosophy has made it so that it's OK if 2 + 2 doesn't = 4 as long as you think you're right. Can't tell anyone they are wrong these days, especially kids.

So, they grow up not knowing anything, thinking they are the best at everything. Then, when confronted with reality, they need "safe spaces" and puppy dogs.