Ford CEO Jim Farley laments he can’t fill 5,000 mechanic jobs

[Underway]

Keep a close eye on him as drug users in the trades, become the people they hang out with. Try to get him to take some Salsa classes on his down time, so he gets to meet a nice crowd and can make friends outside of work.

Had this exact convo with my son, he looked at me like I was psychotic "Dad, those people are dangerous morons, I won't be hanging out with them. I still hang out with my friends online."

 

[mariomike]

Keep a close eye on him as drug users in the trades, become the people they hang out with. Try to get him to take some Salsa classes on his down time, so he gets to meet a nice crowd and can make friends outside of work.

Excellent advice.

 

[Harris]

Maybe design cars that can be easily fixed and spend time making sure parts can be removed without massive disassembly to gain access.

I had a Dodge Dakota where you had to lift the engine to replace the oil pan. Traded it the next month and did not replace the oil pan.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Maybe design cars that can be easily fixed and spend time making sure parts can be removed without massive disassembly to gain access.

I am convinced there is a market for throw back cars and pick up. Give me an OBS Ford where I can basically stand inside the engine bay and work any day.

 

[Furniture]

Alternatively we have Canada where our trades certificators/organizations refuse to allow people who have been doing the trade for many years to challenge the tests to become formally certified. Let alone allow foreign certified tradesmen become certified.

It doesn’t matter if they try to get into the trades or not, we have so many artificial barriers to entry it isn’t even funny. Getting a apprenticeship is the difficult part. Every other part is easy.

One of the big issues I've heard of is companies not wanting their apprentices to become journeymen, because they cost too much. So, people who go into the trades end up not getting the big pay promised, because they're stuck as apprentices/laborers.

Like most problems in the labor market, there is a self-inflicted aspect to it that insiders refuse to address, because it might mean they have to forego their preferential treatment.

 

[Eaglelord17]

One of the big issues I've heard of is companies not wanting their apprentices to become journeymen, because they cost too much. So, people who go into the trades end up not getting the big pay promised, because they're stuck as apprentices/laborers.

Like most problems in the labor market, there is a self-inflicted aspect to it that insiders refuse to address, because it might mean they have to forego their preferential treatment.

Generally it isn’t that they don’t want them to become ticketed, it is rather a few scummy companies will dangle the apprenticeship over some people but never actually provide it.

That is far from the norm however. Most just don’t want apprentices because of a few factors

1) Training is time consuming and expensive as the apprenticeship will screw up a fair bit

2) It is cheaper to hire someone ticketed and have them work than it is to train a apprentice for 4 years and risk them leaving once trained

3) With many collective agreements in unionized environments apprenticeships go to the person with the most seniority. My grandfather gave a example of a 57 year old apprentice they were forced to train who then retired two years after getting ticketed. Waste of time and money for all involved.

4) In many work environments a apprentice isn’t paid that far off from a journeyman. So why pay almost the same for much worse work initially when you can just hire someone who can do it all?

5) To try and get around the seniority rules in many places they have started demanding college programs as a prerequisite for the apprenticeship, wasting everyones time and money on something which isn’t required.

6) People are less prepared for apprenticeships today then they were in the past thanks to lack luster education and lack of opportunity to try and fix things yourself.

I am sure there are other issues but that is a good starting point. My grandfathers both were ticketed in the UK in the late 50s early 60s. They started their apprenticeships at 16 years old, never finished highschool as it wasn’t necessary. Ticketed by 20/21 and working full time.

That is the type of path we need in Canada. That is how you get 40-45 years good work out of a individual. I doubt we shall see it though.

 

[FJAG]

I had a Dodge Dakota where you had to lift the engine to replace the oil pan. Traded it the next month and did not replace the oil pan.

I'll see your Dakota and raise you a Mini.

Buy British. Buy second best.