To solve worker shortage, Dow offers apprenticeships

Fuel Fix ^ | October 23, 2014 | Rhiannon Meyers

[reed13k]

This year I hired 5 straight out of college: I reviewed 40+ resumes, interviewed 20, hired 5 - damn good kids. Some of the others... meh... that’s why I didn’t hire them.

The ones I got are good thinkers, fast learners, decent writers, have a sense of humor and can communicate clearly.

The ones I turned away wrote sloppily, didn’t have the required engineering skills, were poor speakers, dressed abysmally, or plainly thought to much of themselves.

Just like everything else there are good ones and bad ones.

[Milton Miteybad]

There are 95 million unemployed in this country, there is no shortage.

I'd say there's probably a shortage of workers who can maintain and operate cracking units worth hundreds of millions of dollars safely, reliably and with a minimum of downtime. There probably aren't anywhere near 95 million of those kind of people.

[dfwgator]

I'd say there's probably a shortage of workers who can maintain and operate cracking units worth hundreds of millions of dollars safely, reliably and with a minimum of downtime.

And can pass a drug test.

[Milton Miteybad]

Well, there is that, yes...

[Trailerpark Badass]

I have gone back to technical school to learn machining, and many of my fellow students have trouble doing simple math, like working with fractions; basic algebra, forget it. It’s painful to see.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Yeah, look at Biden’s kid. And he failed for cocaine, which I believe only stays in the system for a day or two, so he’s still an active, regular user.

[Moonman62]

Most likely these aren’t real apprenticeships, but a devious plan to pay even less to new hires.

[Delta Dawn]

Let me just say that I have not been hanging out with Ethyl...so I know nutting about this...

[Delta Dawn]

That was my question...are these paid or unpaid internships?

[Moonman62]

Apprenticeship programs are an age-old solution which companies have been reluctant to try as long as the Chamber of Commies keeps the pipeline of illegals flowing.

...

I wouldn’t be surprised if these companies started whining and crying about not having enough H1b’s to fill these “apprenticeships.”

[Milton Miteybad]

And your proof for this assertion is...

[thackney]

Certainly paid.

[Moonman62]

It’s not an assertion.

[thackney]

Most likely these aren’t real apprenticeships, but a devious plan to pay even less to new hires.

I doubt that. I do consulting work in plants like these. They desperately need skilled people.

[moehoward]

"Apprenticeship programs are an age-old solution which companies have been reluctant to try as long as the Chamber of Commies keeps the pipeline of illegals flowing."

Not so sure they've been reluctant to try it. From what I've seen the model has just been modified to a revolving door of Illegal labor. New arrival get's training and low pay until he knows the job and expects actual wages. The axe drops and the process starts again. Works great because there will always be a constant flow.

[Milton Miteybad]

Why, I do believe that it is. From Dictionary.com:

assertion

noun

1. a positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason...

It was a positive statement, with no offer of conclusive proof. I just asked for your proof. You have replied with an incorrect statement that what you had asserted was not an assertion, whereas in truth and in fact, that is all it is.

Having grown up in petrochemical country, I can attest that process technicians, instrumentation techs, etc., are fairly well-paid. While I don't know how much an apprentice in those occupations would earn, it's a fairly safe bet that the sponsoring company isn't undertaking the expense of the program simply for the purpose of turning the workforce over in two to four years in favor of another group of apprentices who will work for less, thereby wasting the time and money spent on training the first apprentice class. That would defeat the very purpose of the program, in fact.

You appear to believe otherwise, for reasons you have yet to adequately explain. I was merely asking for that explanation.

[Moonman62]

I doubt that. I do consulting work in plants like these. They desperately need skilled people.

...

Are they not paying enough to get skilled people?

[Moonman62]

My statement was probabilistic. It was not an assertion.

When you say these people are well paid, have their salaries kept up with inflation over the past 30 years?

[thackney]

With the plant growth in the area, there are not enough skilled people for these jobs.

[Moonman62]

With the plant growth in the area, there are not enough skilled people for these jobs.

...

I have no doubt they need people, but there are a lot of intelligent quick learners who need jobs, too. Please point me to some of the help wanted ads, and perhaps we can see what the problem is.