Norman Verona Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 My guess is that they will not be able to get work after about 65 and will get put on early retirement to keep them off the job seekers numbers. I worked from 15 to 59. For nearly 40 years I rarely did less than 14 hour days, many 18 hour days. Never worked less than 6 day weeks. I think I just worked myself to a standstill. When it became obvious I would need to learn new skills to carry on* I just gave up and retired. *New skill was to programme windows software. I wrote a large scale system in PICK but at 59 didn't want to learn a new language. I was just too tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 The big problem with employment at the moment is simply the lack of suitable jobs. Germany is doing well economically and where it differs to the UK is that it has lots of jobs which low acheivers can do. That does not mean I look down on people but not everyone has the skills to do technical jobs, but working on factory lines and the like caters for these people. We used to have lots of similar jobs, the mines, steel works and manufacturing had loads of jobs like thes for the low achievers who can still contribute, but successive goverments, especially the last one, told everyone that the future was high tech high paid service jobs which needed a degree. Now the amount of degrees which hold little worth to employers is huge, those with science maths etc still get top jobs. If we get enough of the people employed, as a country we can afford to pay a good pension then people will have a choice, not be forced to work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Item on BBC Breakfast this morning about people over retirement age still working. Then someone said that this didn't help the youngsters get a job when they left school. I explained to HM the difference. 18 year old in, say, B&Q. He's leaning against the racks chewing gum. You ask him a question and he mumbles "dunno". 66 year old is walking around and asks you if you need any help. He's smiling, alert and nothing is too much trouble. He knows his subject and offers good advice. Which would you employ? It wasn't the young-at-heart, irascible old git, 69 year old John Humphrys, was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 No it was someone they were interviewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Dastardly Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 To follow on from Jeff's points, I would point out that what jobs there are for 'low achievers' (for want of a better word) in this country are overwelmingly (in my experience at least) performed by eastern europeans now. Who I believe from speaking to the employers turn up on time and work hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 This is really interesting on many levels. We do a lot of piece work felling and processing tree's for a water company. 100 foot pulp wood (pine or fir), fell it, sned it (take of brash wood and branches), and cut into 8 foot lengths and manually (by hand) stack. We get £6.75 a tree so the more you do the more you earn. Do we get many young people - yes, we get loads come but we have an 90% drop out rate as they just cant cope with the work load and believe it or not being outside!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 We seem to be obsessed with qualifications now. Not all kids can pass exams. Some are better working with their hands and can do things that "brainboxes" can't. I left school at 15 as I wanted to be a car mechanic. I have no academic qualifications whatsoever - and sometimes it shows! Problem is that along with being obsessed with university qualifications we have downgraded jobs that don't need degrees. I haven't done that bad. I have two cousins who have degrees in nuclear physics and another with a degree in computer science. All three are doing other work because they can no longer get jobs in the professions they are qualified for. My son was told he could choose Oxford or Cambridge when he was in the 5th form at grammar school. He looked at my cousins and decided it wasn't for him and joined me in the software company in the early days. He hasn't done that bad. When the cousin who lost his job at Warwick University doing computer science (for IBM) I asked him if I could help, being in the computer business. He explained that his job involved studying the atoms between the gates of micro processors. He reckoned there were less than 6 others in the world doing the same research. He now travels the world organising Bridge competitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I am looking at using my skills in another way - social change and personal improvement rather than just lugging wood - i'd like to help ex-service people equip themselves for a life in my industry. Oh, and substance abusers trying to get clean... . I'm veyr lucky as I have had 3 " Careers" in 25 years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2rrr Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 You won't get a decent job at our place without a degree. they would rather have some youngster with a 1st from Oxbridge with absolutely no experience than some old fart who knows what they are about. Sign of the times I'm afraid, couldn't possibly train them up over half a lifetime, so in at the deep end and the old farts have to shield them from there own incompetence. I spent a year training up my future replacement who was a modern apprentice with no real experience and loads of enthusiasm, she had also gained a degree as an aside in Maths, she was a clever youngster and had all the makings. The management decided she was not suitable to be taken on when her apprenticeship was over even though everyone had recommended she was good enough. I was gutted, she now works for one of our competitors in Scotland and I hope she excels in her work and shows these t*ssers how good the yoof can be. Especially when trained properly not just NVQs and other plagiarised paperwork. Short sighted and generally dyed in the wool p*ss poor management. She does seem to be doing quite nicely at the moment I have my contacts keeping her on the right track. Does that sound a bit like sour grapes -- not half. Time to retire, methinks. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyblues Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I new a clever chap who could work out the internal volume of a complex shaped glass vessel , But he could not get the lid off. That's when you need team work!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FILFAN Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 i think the trouble with youngsters is that they see claiming benefit as an option. where is the motivation going to come from when they wont really be much better off working. i work with a number of people in their 60's and while they may not be the quickest they do everything asked without complaining. we also have 4 young trainees around 19 at the min and only one of these really has the get up and go to do the job infact he will make a great tech if he carries on. the other 3 just float around moaning and have to be told how to do the same job every time. one of them did an award winning act last week because he didnt feel well. he could haldly stand up and was swinging of everything because he felt so bad. funny how he managed to drive 3 hours home when he left early Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander72 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Filfan - "nail on the head" springs to mind!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Yesterday my daughter asked why I didn't do something useful with my time. She suggested that I go to the senior centre to hang out with the guys. I did this and when I got home last night I told her that I had joined a parachute club. She said "Are you nuts? You're almost 80 years old and you're going to start jumping out of airplanes "? I proudly showed her my membership card. She said, "For heaven's sake, where are your glasses! This is a membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club!" I'm in trouble again and don't know what to do! - I signed up for five jumps a week! Life as a Senior Citizen is not easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FILFAN Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain m Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Classic comment, when we do spend a lot of time doing what " WE" think is useful. Just out of curiosity how far is Bucks fron Sussex?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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