Ok.. Minumum wage... Immagration

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Well, college isn't exactly affordable, but getting loans to GO to college sure is easy. The trouble comes about when these recent college grads with their shiny new diploma in underwater basket weaving can't find a job doing underwater basket weaving because the market is over-saturated, as you said.

So we have college "educated" people with sometimes upwards of 50,000 USD of debt trying to find a job in market that's become so oversaturated that only the absolute best and brightest get positions that back in the day would be considered "middle tier" work. The rest are left with crushing debt and no avenue for income aside from taking on possibly more debt to learn a different skill.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

Which is exactly the point I was making.

Ask some of those underwater basket weavers if they want to work in a 'factory' and they would probably tell you to piss off even though some of the salaries are well over $50,000 a year.

As an aside, I think a lot of the skilled labor problems could be solved with the rebirth of TRUE apprenticeship, true on the job training. The art of learning a trade has become commercialized, so that rather than learning on the workforce, you're expected to ALREADY know what needs to be done as a condition of employment.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Well, it's understandable to an extent. You pour four or more years into learning to how be an underwater basket weaver, and then get told to find a job in a different market. I'd be less-than-willing as well. I'd feel like the 50 grand plus I spent on my education was worthless. Even if it's true, you'd be hard pressed to see someone just shrug that off and work in your factory, living wage or not.

Again, logically it makes sense to take that factory job, but human beings are fickle and want to believe the time they spent learning something was time well spent.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Which would be great, if those were jobs to be had. What you don't understand, is those are the jobs we are loosing.

I come from a town in which three factories supported the town, and one college. Those 4 things were what made the entire town go 'round, and what supported all the other businesses like the grocery store and hardware store ect. Everything else around that town was farming...

So... those three factories, everyone wanted to work in. (even the farmers worked in them) Believe me when I say, when one of those factories hires there are lines of applicants and they only take applications for 1 day as a result when they do need more applications for any reason. Many people do, and did, as you say - go to trade school in order to get the best positions in those factories. Some kids from the town went to college but most went after trades..

Of those three factories, one completely closed to go overseas and one was on its way out - cutting hours drastically and closing one of their two plants after new ownership... on their way to Germany last I heard..That leaves one factory left to support the town pretty much.

This is the story I hear from everyone from similar towns, the factories are closing right and left.

a reply to: OpinionatedB

I cover the entire northeast, from Virginia to Maine and out to Ohio and West Virginia. My experiences in serving the manufacturing sector is that there are not enough skilled tradesmen coming up the ranks which is leading to increasing wage costs and the possibilities, because of this, of outsourcing some of these jobs. Others can not be outsourced and need to be made here.

The issue is we need more people to opt for the skilled trade route instead of useless liberal arts degrees where they graduate with no viable options to lifelong employment.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I'm talking about the midwest area, because that is where I am from... and I do know there, even today.. kids go to the trade schools, most begin before they are out of highschool, so that they leave highschool either with a trade or within a year of a trade...

They still push a trade in highschool there... more than college because it is still seen that even a kid who wants to go to college will need a trade at least to make it through college.

Might want to look there - or at least advertise in the Midwest... small towns precisely. People are willing to move, and I know many who have - to follow the jobs.

a reply to: OpinionatedB

I can only speak to my territories although I do cover a small part of the Midwest (Ohio). There is a dearth of skilled labor and many plants are offering paid apprenticeships and starting salaries in the $50-80,000 range.

Just to be clear, I am in sales so we would not be advertising for skilled laborers.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

lol... understand...although... there used to be a day you didn't have to say such a thing!

skilled is things like a MIG welder, a machinist and so forth.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

No it is not hard to come here legally if you have a skill to offer. I worked with a man who emmigrated from mexico the legal way and he told me that It took about a week for the peperwork to be approved and about 1, 000$ in fees.

How hard is that?

a reply to: VforVendettea

It is hard to come here period. I suggest you do a little research as I have sponsored people and even with that benefit it is still cumbersome and time consuming. Yearly visa applications are typically exhausted in a couple of weeks which leaves people waiting for the following year to apply again.