What's going on!!

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Of the three young uns I've had to help, the results are much the same. First one was to help logging / splitting. 19 years old, Mum said he wanted to loose weight and get fit! Kept talking about his mates, his Audi TT, drugs and asking if we could stop for food (he bought his lunch at the garage - all £29 worth!) and to buy car magazines. The worst of the three; he couldn't lift a finger. But the worst part is when they have absolutely no initiative at all and just stand there looking pathetic.

#2 was a customers son; 3 times better than the above boy but still a little short of the mark - a bit chopsy but acceptable.

#3 was yesterday on a fencing job - 19 year old son of a mate. Very good arttitude, very willing. Said he could dig holes very well - a little optimistic imo but did what was requested of him and was under no illusion that he could slack. Said himself that he was here to dig etc and carried on in the pouring rain so bless him I'll trial him on tree work sometime soon. If he can drag brash fast and carefully and all that he'll be a find.

 

But for me, initiative is the most valuable thing they can bring; to observe and pick things up quickly and thus increase productivity with no supervision.

 

Like you say tho, these eastern blockers are awesome - where can I find some?

[Rob D]

The trouble is that a lot of our English ways have now rubbed off on the other eastern europeans...

 

I've had a one that was an utter time waster and another who just grafted for a whole week solidly splitting logs by hand...

 

But to concur what is going to happen in 20 years to this country? There is little to no work ethic left? I'm just old enough to say the next generation is going to weigh this country down like lead boots!!

 

And the trouble is you get so disillusioned with workers I now don't bother with full time employees....

 

[Tom D]

Its a sad fact but I have to agree with whats being said, a good local lad who will graft is a rare thing indeed. Its the fault of our education system which was ruined by liberal hippy types in the 70's, they couldn't bare the idea that a middle class child might accidently fail the 11+ and end up with a working class education. So they decided that all children should have a middle class academic education, 30 years ago boys were taught useful skills that prepared them for work, carpentry, metal work, bricklaying and horticulture, they left school knowing what a days work was. Now they are taught purely academic classroom based stuff which is fine for those who are adapted to that sort of thing but for those who aren't they become dis-illusioned and basically drop out of school, learning little because they aren't interested.

By the time they leave at 16 technical colledge is just seen as more school to them and so they can't be bothered with it, anyway we will also pay them a decent wage to sit at home all day, so thats what they do.

The problem is as we use more and more foreigners to do our manual jobs the local kids are still here spending our taxes and having more useless kids which means the country needs to generate more wealth to raise sufficient taxes to pay increased welfare, which means more migrant workers...

 

Plus we have to find nearly a trillion dollars to pay back our debt.

 

Isn't britain great.

[Trackers]

You can't tar them all ith the same brush! I agree the Lithuanians are really good workers, but the younger English aren't all lazy, we only emply grafters and most of them are young English (nothing against any other nationality but they haven't applied for a job with us). The army now encourage leavers to go into tree surgery, try employing some of them, they are really hard workers and never complain.

[grumpydavesmith]

employ me then!!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

You all say this and yet, just how many lads come through this site BEGGING for the chance to work?

[Stephen Blair]

it isnt easy, hense why i dont have any employees anymore, it is a hard game, so buy some toys and get some older help. Get a gloria and dont bother dragging. I went to see my mate doing a job the other day, he had 3 lads dragging brash through 3 gardens and up a long banking/lawn. I could of got gloria right to the tree and spread it all under a big laurel and then got the tracked barrow for the heavy. job done.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

it isnt easy, hense why i dont have any employees anymore, it is a hard game, so buy some toys and get some older help. Get a gloria and dont bother dragging. I went to see my mate doing a job the other day, he had 3 lads dragging brash through 3 gardens and up a long banking/lawn. I could of got gloria right to the tree and spread it all under a big laurel and then got the tracked barrow for the heavy. job done.

 

And whilst i totaly get your standpoint, there are millions of people looking for work?

 

If all we do is find ways to reduce our staff needs, all we do is perpetuate the very things we hate about this world/society that WE all created.

 

personaly I think Compulsary military service would be the way to go, but thats a bit controversial for some!

 

Two years in the military would sort out most folk!

[Tom D]

I know that there are guys wanting work on here, who have tickets and experience, I have used a couple of them recently and will be doing again, but what I'd really like is an unskilled youngster who would cost me half as much and could come to the yard each morning. Do a days graft and learn the job, on the tools as it were, No offence to the guys who I do employ but with minimum wage for a 16-18yo at £3.53 I could have two of them for what a guy with tickets costs. Why pay a climber to drag brash?

[grumpydavesmith]

i personally disagree. i'm in the "army" currently as an instructor. We have same trouble with youth, and the army has had to change around them!! i.e make it easier and less disciplined other wise nobody would join. its a shite state of affairs, im not tarring them all with same brush there some excellent young ones out there but there is also alot of cannon fodder. if we made it compulsory then we wouldnt be able to trust them with a sweeping brush never mind a rifle!!! or i would be looking over my shoulder to make sure they wasn't going to slot me!!!

 

Did you know the minimum reading age to get in army is 5 yrs old! i regulary have students that cant read or write properly its a joke!!! they just blame it on dyslexia, cos its an easy kop out!!

 

 

Tom if you pay peanuts you'll get monkeys!!!!

 

My dad has same trouble in building industry his gang has average age of about 55 cos they cant rely on youth even turning up never mind doing job when they eventually do get there!