Are Craftsmen/Fabricators in short supply?...

I think Rossco hit the proverbial nail on the head. As a retired shop teacher in northern NJ all I see is our local high school closing their shops (wood, metal, automotive, electrical, machine, etc.). The schools are now more interested in advertising how high of a percentage of their graduates get into colleges (funny that they don't advertise how many graduate from college though). Most of my former "shop kids" in a highly academic high school are still employed while a lot of the college grads who got downsized with no transferrable skills are out looking for any job they can get. These same college grads are now paying my kids big bucks to design, frame, build, plumb and electrify their houses or service their automobiles. A guy with a good set of hands and a strong work ethic will never want for a way to make a living.

This country and the educational community had better wake up because we have too long looked with distain at a person who works with their hands. We now have to outsource our production to inferior and less expensive labor forces in other countries, with the accompanying problems caused by their shoddy craftsmanship (I am generalizing here, but you get the picture).

 

Having the talent , the shop, and the tools to do job is no guarantee of success either. Some business sense a must , even in a niche business !

 

Did these guys find any fab guys? I know this is an older post but maybe there still looking for help? and this may put someone to work.

 

Used to be a shortage of skilled people around here, until the Bean Counters
and Paper Shufflers got the brilliant idea to send all the manufacturing jobs to China.

80% of the machine shops in Windsor have closed, so where do those people go ?
Good luck trying to make a decent wage.

 

I've been Rich my entire life, I still know what all the fuss is about.

 

In this part of the country, fabricators are not in short supply, because of all the race team layoffs.

 

What a sad report card on America. When I graduated from high school the opportunities for a hands on career were on an equal footing with a college education. Ever since the thought that EVERYONE had to have a college education the country has gone down hill.
We've missed the boat by herding many who would have been an asset to the skilled trades into careers that are now drying up and going to foreign countries. Priorities friends, when will we ever get it right?\

Frank

 

The local school here said a couple of years back that most of their grads where finding jobs in other industries.Sold their programs with all of the projected job opennings but didnt tell them why those opennings were predicted.No money in it.

E.

 

MAN!!! I live 2 minutes from the hotrod garage wish my fabricating skills were better....but Im willing to learn

 

We are in the same boat up here also.. We have the work.. but are short on TECHS.. I cannot speak for other Body shops.. the can comment at there leisure in Alberta..

 

Are craftsmen and fabricators in short supply ?depends alot of people call themselfs the above ,but ends up they maybe have 2,3,4,5 years under there belt! And most of that was in their back yard. Dont get offened i work in my "back yard" also! Difference is the 33+ years i have put in to get to this skill level, and that i know i dont know it all ! Every day brings new challenges and that is what keeps it interesting .most of the ones mentioned above come in" knowing it all" and with that mind set they have stopped evolving {their stagnent} you have to keep an open mind to move ahead ,earn more money, up your skill level ,put the time in ,it dont happen over night!!! I will be the first one to omit i got lucky and worked in some shops where the opertunitys where there to advace my self . By listening watching and asking.and doing . It is surprizing what you can do if you are willing to learn!! Your confedence will grow with each success . Gustav stickley said"the life so short, the craft so long to learn" and how true this is the maestro ps sorry for the spelling