Peak Lineman?

[BrotherBart]

Heard on the radio this afternoon that the electric power industry is in a frenzy because over half of the 400,000 lineman and plant workers will be eligible for retirement over the next five to ten years. Seems they aren't getting new ones on board at a rate anywhere near what is required.

They are bugging the heck out of schools and universities to start offering training programs for the profession.

 

[saichele]

Heard on the radio this afternoon that the electric power industry is in a frenzy because over half of the 400,000 lineman and plant workers will be eligible for retirement over the next five to ten years. Seems they aren't getting new ones on board at a rate anywhere near what is required.

They are bugging the heck out of schools and universities to start offering training programs for the profession.

Just like most other trades
1) kids would rather go to college and sell clothes at the GAP than go to tech school and join a trade
2) Unions have made it progressively harder to get in and get good work. If the guys with seniority get all the good jobs, why spend 3 or four years in hock to get crap work for 10 yrs.

The two in combination mean trades will get paid progressively more, and more and more of us will be trying to learn how to do the work...

Steve

 

[ourhouse]

Heard on the radio this afternoon that the electric power industry is in a frenzy because over half of the 400,000 lineman and plant workers will be eligible for retirement over the next five to ten years. Seems they aren't getting new ones on board at a rate anywhere near what is required.

They are bugging the heck out of schools and universities to start offering training programs for the profession.

Just like most other trades
1) kids would rather go to college and sell clothes at the GAP than go to tech school and join a trade
2) Unions have made it progressively harder to get in and get good work. If the guys with seniority get all the good jobs, why spend 3 or four years in hock to get crap work for 10 yrs.

The two in combination mean trades will get paid progressively more, and more and more of us will be trying to learn how to do the work...

Steve

We have the same trouble at work getting younger people into the industry. And a lot of the new kids DON'T seem to want to work hard. We keep about 1 out of 10.
JOHN

 

[BrotherBart]

I tell ya, I have all of the admiration in the world for those guys wearing the gaffs or in the bucket lifts dealing with those power lines. Last year when we were out for a week and everybody was bitching I just said "Be glad anybody will get up there in this weather and do that stuff. Oh, that's right. You are one of the ones that think I am a Neanderthal for burning wood aren't ya? If it is too cold to sleep, come over and pile up in my family room.".

Of course when they got everybody in the area up but our one house I went and chased one of them down. If was a clear, pretty day!

 

[BrotherBart]

Just like most other trades
1) kids would rather go to college and sell clothes at the GAP than go to tech school and join a trade
2) Unions have made it progressively harder to get in and get good work. If the guys with seniority get all the good jobs, why spend 3 or four years in hock to get crap work for 10 yrs.

The two in combination mean trades will get paid progressively more, and more and more of us will be trying to learn how to do the work...

Steve

Another problem. I am on the steering committees for both the computer technology specialty and automotive tech programs in our school system. We get all of the support and funding for the computer tech program you could dream of. Nobody will even admit that the auto tech program exists. I asked a School Board member one day "Would you let the kid next door work on your computer?" and she said "Why yes, in fact he has. He is really smart.".

Next I said "How about him working on your brakes?"

Got a real funny look.

 

[saichele]

Just like most other trades
1) kids would rather go to college and sell clothes at the GAP than go to tech school and join a trade
2) Unions have made it progressively harder to get in and get good work. If the guys with seniority get all the good jobs, why spend 3 or four years in hock to get crap work for 10 yrs.

The two in combination mean trades will get paid progressively more, and more and more of us will be trying to learn how to do the work...

Steve

Another problem. I am on the steering committees for both the computer technology specialty and automotive tech programs in our school system. We get all of the support and funding for the computer tech program you could dream of. Nobody will even admit that the auto tech program exists. I asked a School Board member one day "Would you let the kid next door work on your computer?" and she said "Why yes, in fact he has. He is really smart.".

Next I said "How about him working on your brakes?"

Got a real funny look.

True. I suspect parents/community are probably the number on cause of number 1 (above).

Steve

 

[GVA]

I think part of it comes down to work ethic.
Kids today just dont have the drive of kids 20 or 30 years ago, they want the money but don't want to have to earn it, and most don't have a clue what they want to do.
I brought my son to work to show him the industrial mechanic side of the world like maintaining/repairing equipment electrical work plumbing, HVAC,Machining on a lathe or a Bridgeport (since I trained his uncle in the field years ago, his uncle told him he needed to work for me and shadow me). Well after 2 days of him trailing behind me at work I figured I'd show him how to weld just as another aspect to the field right... I plugged the lincoln 225 ac/dc welder in and showed him how to weave a bead.........His first shot at it he struck an arc and ran a 3 inch bead on a piece of steel.............What the...........Roospike could probably chime in here on this the first 50+ times trying to weld you usually get the electrode stuck to the piece your trying to weld........ Well anyway a couple of days later I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he really wanted to weld for a living, so I made some calls to friends and they are willing to apprentice him and give him a chance...
Since he is not really college material I have been trying to explain to him that the trades are dying out and the money is really good, Electrician was my first choice since I could show him alot about it and give him a foot in the door but he really liked the welding, how many people do you know that really like what they do?????????
Linemen...............They make a lot of money, and I'm surprised that not many people are jumping on that job.
Again the work ethic of people under the age of say 40 is to take the lazy mans route IMO. And all trades are suffering from it. :red: that is all

 

[BrotherBart]

"I think part of it comes down to work ethic.
Kids today just dont have the drive of kids 20 or 30 years ago, they want the money but don’t want to have to earn it, and most don’t have a clue what they want to do."

Sounds like me 40 years ago. Hmmm... Sounds like me 40 minutes ago. Except that 40 years ago somebody sent me a little draft notice that said my greatest career ambition was to shoot people. I wouldn't wish that on the most seemingly worthless youngster there is today. Plus I meet one hell of a lot more great kids than problem ones.

Bill Cosby said it best twenty years ago. Kids all seem to wander aimlessly through their teens not knowing or caring about work or what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Then one day they run into the great equalizer; The rent.

Fortunately I never worked a day in my life just for the money. Mostly I did what I did because I was stupid. The liars and crooks were making all of the big bucks.

 

[Mike]

Like Art Linkletter said ......... kids will be kids. The vast majority of young people today are good, no different from my generation and I suspect BB's. Some will be a problem but most are not. Heck my 90 year old dad is still trying to straighten me out.

About 25 years ago, Ontario Hydro publicized a major injury reduction. Did they improve? Or did they just not mention that majority of line work had been farmed out? Contractors didn't figure into the injury rate.

 

[GVA]

"I think part of it comes down to work ethic.
Kids today just dont have the drive of kids 20 or 30 years ago, they want the money but don’t want to have to earn it, and most don’t have a clue what they want to do."

Sounds like me 40 years ago. Hmmm... Sounds like me 40 minutes ago. Except that 40 years ago somebody sent me a little draft notice that said my greatest career ambition was to shoot people. I wouldn't wish that on the most seemingly worthless youngster there is today. Plus I meet one hell of a lot more great kids than problem ones.

Bill Cosby said it best twenty years ago. Kids all seem to wander aimlessly through their teens not knowing or caring about work or what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Then one day they run into the great equalizer; The rent.

Fortunately I never worked a day in my life just for the money. Mostly I did what I did because I was stupid. The liars and crooks were making all of the big bucks.

Relax BB when I was a kid we didn't have video games(other than pong) we didn't have a gazillion tv channels (or remote controls) The past few generations are just more lazy for the most part
To add to that My kids, I think they are good kids but they are just not driven. As far as the rent thing.HA HA HA my daughter 21 got an apartment and when we were helping to move her in complained about me and the wife leaving a light on in the other room, saying "you know electricity isn't free" and " I have a light bill you know" This sounds familiar to me............. after all I have been telling her that for years. It's just kinda funny

 

[Corie]

I'm that same way. I used to think my mother was a lunatic for always telling us to shut off lights, etc.

Now, I'm the electric (and natural gas) nazi. We only run high consumption devices during off-peak time, we never leave lights on if we're not in the room, thermostate never goes above 68. My mother always says she can't believe how much mature I've gotten since moving out of her house and in with Girl Corrie in our own apartment.

 

[Roospike]

I think part of it comes down to work ethic.
Kids today just dont have the drive of kids 20 or 30 years ago, they want the money but don't want to have to earn it, and most don't have a clue what they want to do.
I brought my son to work to show him the industrial mechanic side of the world like maintaining/repairing equipment electrical work plumbing, HVAC,Machining on a lathe or a Bridgeport (since I trained his uncle in the field years ago, his uncle told him he needed to work for me and shadow me). Well after 2 days of him trailing behind me at work I figured I'd show him how to weld just as another aspect to the field right... I plugged the lincoln 225 ac/dc welder in and showed him how to weave a bead.........His first shot at it he struck an arc and ran a 3 inch bead on a piece of steel.............What the...........R could probably chime in here on this the first 50+ times trying to weld you usually get the electrode stuck to the piece your trying to weld........ Well anyway a couple of days later I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he really wanted to weld for a living, so I made some calls to friends and they are willing to apprentice him and give him a chance...
Since he is not really college material I have been trying to explain to him that the trades are dying out and the money is really good, Electrician was my first choice since I could show him alot about it and give him a foot in the door but he really liked the welding, how many people do you know that really like what they do?????????
Linemen...............They make a lot of money, and I'm surprised that not many people are jumping on that job.
Again the work ethic of people under the age of say 40 is to take the lazy mans route IMO. And all trades are suffering from it. :red: that is all

What the he(( , this is the green room , what am i doing here? Well , Ok it least its not the ash can.lol

Having skills and different trades under your belt is always a good thing , options at a young age is always good and also helps bring out the DIY in yourself.
I think schools need to have more hands on and job options through middle and high school as well as more in depth information on credit cards , houses , bills and how the real world works vs just getting slammed with this information in there 20's.

What a teen wants to do in there life can be tough and needs a sample before diving into a job. I taught my son welding and fabrication at the later part of 14 and now being 16 as well as auto repair , he also this year (16) know how to safely run homeowner and pro chainsaws and limbing and bucking trees and working on felling trees now but needs more hands on with chainsaws and being around trees to be let loose with tree felling. Safety is always a big thing with dad but when doing these kind of things it has to be.

My son like computers but is more of a hands on , got to be doing something active kind of person so i dont think a sit down desk job is going to be his thing but at least he has some options.
He works for me now part time in fabrication but if he want to do this kind of work i think he needs to get out in the world and work for and with other people before making a choice AFTER he gets his education of coarse. Welders and Machinist average $18.oo - $24.oo an hour for mid range and specialists run higher and of course there isn't much of a demand for Arborist in the mid-west so the chainsaw and such is more DIY .

I have two younger daughters that are next and they will also get the full treatment.

 

[kevinmoelk]

Talking about the younger generation... Well I believe work ethic is learned at a very early age. When I was growing up our job was school. We (my 2 brothers and I) all had to do well in school. If we got anything below a "B" we received tutoring. When we weren't doing school work we were busy with all sorts of chores. Take out the garbage, wash the windows, clean the gutters, mow the lawn, vaccuum the rugs, water the plants, rake the leaves, etc. And when my Dad came home from work after busting his butt for 8 hours, we would eat dinner then go outside to rake leaves until the sun went down... my Dad always being the last one in the door. My Mom worked furiously not only part time, but as a full time Mom, soccer games, sewing holes in our jackets, making a home cooked meal every night. My parents were not only some of the hardest workers I've ever known, they were frugal, and steadfast about instilling those values in their children.

I'm glad to have been raised that way... now. When I was a kid I didn't understand that Jimmy got his bike for free and I had to work 4 months for mine. Begging was never tolerated in my home. I see parents today who allow their children to get away with all sorts of crap. Yelling, rude behavior, standing on chairs, pushing people aside, poor manners, etc. But it's not only behavior and discipline problems, parents seems to just buy stuff for their kids today. Easy credit and the desire to please seems to have overcome teaching the tough lessons to children. It all starts at home.

I've worked as both a carpenter and an automotive technician. In both jobs I've run across lazy kids. Someone said 1 in 10 were good, and I agree that is about the ratio of young people who have a strong work ethic. I clearly recall my first day on the job site. I moved lumber all day. The foreman tried all week to break me with menial tasks. The second week they started to teach me the trade. When I ran my own contracting company I did the same thing. Many kids didn't show up the second day. If they lasted the week I would teach them anything. And I took keen notice of the kids who showed up early, worked hard, and stayed late. I always chose the guy with heart over brains.

Seems many young people don't want to learn trades. They want all the money without paying their dues. Skilled trades are not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and like any job require education, dedication, and the willingness to learn. There's an article in the USA today Money section I believe about a 68 year old man returning to work because the business owner could not find enough skilled people to do the job. Does this mean that I'll have to work forever? LOL.

My 2 cents.

-Kevin

 

[sparksalot]

I am an electrician in Montana and i think we are against the norm here we have a lot of young people wanting and entering the trade...I entered after six years in the business world. I like to work with my hands but family thought it was better to go to college and get an office job.My grandfather got hit working on a power line and had six holes blown out his back.I have a good friend who has a masters in Phisics two young kids....making more money and a whole lot more stress...I work 40hrs a week...he works 60hrs a week..i am home at 4.45 to see my kids..there are trade offs no matter what path you choose...it all comes down to economic principles...the older i get the more i realize if you want more money you have to give more time.....i want more time....that is why i am in this trade.. and i drive vehicals that are over 12 years old and paid for..

 

[drizler]

Ah, I think you guy's are all to hard on everyone young while worshiping the old. It is a whole different situation today just as it was different during the depression. Lets face it many of todays trades don't offer any benefits and I defy any one of you to make a case for health insurance and retirement benefits being trivial. Thats what its all about these days and its no fault of ours. I have a real hard time getting on board with the old time" stuff it in a sack under the bed mentality" like so many old folks harbor. I spent lots of wasted time in the 80's trying to convince my parents to profitably invest their money and I never did succeed. Aside from that I am very grateful to my father who grew up in the depression for running me out of his auto paint shop and refusing to show me the first thing about it till I was headed for college. He was stead fast against my becoming a "garage slob" as he referred to it and now days I couldn't agree more. Some guys truly love the outdoors and so do I but all it took was a stint in the army to hone my appreciation of a warm dry job and I do enough of the outiside in the -20 stuff today to keep the appreciation honed. The trades today just aren't what they were 50 years ago and we all have to change with the times. I do like the driving older car theory of saving money . There is no worse way to spend your money than buying new cars. Besides for the most part they are far easier to fix than back in the day. Just plug in the $100 scan tool or in our jeeps case turn the key on and off quick 3 times and you get a full diagnostic.