Quote from: mdgiles on October 20, 2012, 05:10:40 PM
If that were true, cable TV wouldn't be full of DIY shows and Home Depot and Lowes would be of interest only to contractors.

Uh huh...  How many older teens and young adults do you see when you go to your local Home Depot or Lowes?

I don't see too many at mine.

Quote from: rich_t on October 20, 2012, 05:49:00 PM
Uh huh...  How many older teens and young adults do you see when you go to your local Home Depot or Lowes?

I don't see too many at mine.

In Obama's economy, most of the people in Home Depot work part time and wear orange aprons. Getting help or checking out is never a problem.

Yep. During the week, there are more bored employees than customers.

Quote from: kramarat on October 20, 2012, 06:31:47 PM
In Obama's economy, most of the people in Home Depot work part time and wear orange aprons. Getting help or checking out is never a problem.

Yep. During the week, there are more bored employees than customers.

The one in my area has cut way back on employees, so much so, you couldn't get help if you were dying.
And much of their business has gone local to other smaller stores because Home Despot backed the Fag movement.
People in my area are staunch Conservatives.

Quote from: kramarat on October 20, 2012, 06:31:47 PM
In Obama's economy, most of the people in Home Depot work part time and wear orange aprons. Getting help or checking out is never a problem.

Yep. During the week, there are more bored employees than customers.

Hmm... I find if I go at 7:00 A.M. I get all the help I need.  After 9:00 A.M. good luck.   

Perhaps I'm just a hopeless optimist, but I believe that many of those young people now occupying street corners would benefit from being introduced to a skill. The best thing about working with your hands is being ale to easily go back and look at what you've accomplished. I worked as an accountant for thirty years and closing out a fiscal year was different from looking at the tile I laid or the lights I put in.

Quote from: rich_t on October 20, 2012, 04:25:43 PM
One problem is that in today's world there are far too many kids that don't want jobs that require them to get sweaty or dirty.

I've done my share of electrical and plumbing work and it can get pretty bad when it comes to sweat and mud and dirt.

Wiring a house attic in mid-July really sucks.  As does working in crawl spaces under some homes.

And one of the reasons some kids wouldn't even consider vocational schools instead of expensive colleges is because college education has been overly hyped to the point where people believe they can't make it without a degree from some ivy league school. Instead of racking up tens of thousands in debt, going to vocational schools will give students the skills to join a paid apprenticeship which as far as I know usually includes the company picking up the tab for their school tuition.

Now should these vocational schools or the prospective students receive government funding / grants? Probably not, otherwise tuition will once again skyrocket like universities. Government should stay out of this IMO.

Quote from: rocca on October 21, 2012, 11:09:48 AM
And one of the reasons some kids wouldn't even consider vocational schools instead of expensive colleges is because college education has been overly hyped to the point where people believe they can't make it without a degree from some ivy league school. Instead of racking up tens of thousands in debt, going to vocational schools will give students the skills to join a paid apprenticeship which as far as I know usually includes the company picking up the tab for their school tuition.

Now should these vocational schools or the prospective students receive government funding / grants? Probably not, otherwise tuition will once again skyrocket like universities. Government should stay out of this IMO.

Absolutely Correct, and I agree 100%

Quote from: mdgiles on October 21, 2012, 09:17:57 AM
Perhaps I'm just a hopeless optimist, but I believe that many of those young people now occupying street corners would benefit from being introduced to a skill. The best thing about working with your hands is being ale to easily go back and look at what you've accomplished. I worked as an accountant for thirty years and closing out a fiscal year was different from looking at the tile I laid or the lights I put in.

Absolutely. It's hard to beat the gratification that comes with building or doing something, that has physical, tangible results. It would be a great to get kids more aquainted with these skills. We should also stop equating having loads of money, with success. I can't count the number of rich people that I've worked for, that are miserable.

Quote from: JustKari on October 20, 2012, 09:03:33 AM
Re-training workers for jobs.  It is one of the things both O and Mitt have said they want to do.  I am not enthusiastic about government training of anyone.  They s*ck at teaching kids, why would they be any better/efficient at training workers?  Shouldn't the businesses who will be hiring people pay to have them trained, even if they have to  hire a foreign contract worker temporarily to train people. 

I also think that part of the employment problem with college grads is that they are getting degrees that are not useful, and they are taught that they will get a cushy job with a free car right out of the gate.

Thoughts?

I think the government should get out of the student loan business and turn it back over to private lenders.  Let the market work.  Under the current arrangement, most any student, especially those with minority status, can borrow money to go to technical training.  For some it is good, for most, it is a waste of time and money.