Woodworking Business

You are not logged in. [ Login ] Why log in
(NOTE: Login is not required to post)

Post a Response
The staff at WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at any WOODWEB Forum. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.
Your Name:
Your Website:
Email Address:
Subject: Re: What would be the issues with young interns?

Message:

(read message guidelines).
Note: Do not use the below fields to advertise your business - only for links related to the discussion.
Thread Related Link URL:
Thread Related Link Title:
  To "point" to an image (picture) from another website, provide the URL (Web Address) of the file ( include ONE reference to http:// )
Thread Related Image URL:

Date of your Birth:

Upload a Thread Related File:
File Types: Image (gif-jpg-png-bmp), PDF, Sketchup, Video (mov avi wmv mpeg mpg mp4 ogg). (Image Upload Tips)

I have read the Site User Agreement and agree with the Terms

  <= Check to receive e-mail notification of responses

Message Thread:

What would be the issues with young interns?

9/6/17       
Mark B Member

Im not sure that interns would be the best term but in our area there is a huge push into the STEM/STEAM studies.

What would be the issues with a day or two a week bringing in/incorporating young, interested, individuals, into the shop with regards to hands on, design, conceptualization, execution, and so on.

For years I have thought about shop classes and asked here and warned its a legal nightmare.

We have not taken the time to really look into it but given the focus on STEM/STEAM wondering if anyone else has dealt with it.

9/6/17       #2: What would be the issues with young ...
cabmaker

What is STEAM?

9/6/17       #3: What would be the issues with young ...
rich c.

What age is young?
My biggest concern would be loss of production while you hold their hand during training. With just a day or two a week, they won't fit into a job well. They'd see the job, maybe twice, then it would be delivered before they came back for week 3.

9/7/17       #4: What would be the issues with young ...
Paul Miller

Website: http://MCCWOODWORKING.COM

Years ago, in the 90's there was a program in our area where High School shop or woodworking students could work half a day for four days a week in a shop. I had a few students that worked for me under this program and it was very good. I never had more than one student at a time and if they were under 18 which they always were, they could not operate power tools. (That is a State Law) I think the pay was less than minimum wage or about minimum. They had a teacher or counselor that visited our shop and made a report. This was a good program. I know three former students that are still in the trades. One is a roofing contractor another runs the cabinet shop at the hospital and the third is the lead engineer at another shop.

I am in Michigan and the problem here is that most schools have eliminated the Shop classes. I think this program went away in the late 90's. Not all the students work out and you have to be conscious of their age and that most do not have any work experience. But, this was a good program and if you can get something like this started in your area, I would say go ahead. Insurance was not an issue.

Generally, they would do assembly, sanding, staining and some finishing, cleaning and wrapping etc. You might also have them load and unload your CNC. You will see fairly soon which ones have a passion for what you do.

9/7/17       #5: What would be the issues with young ...
Alan F. Member

Generally interns receive minimal or no wage based on the EDUCATION they receive and training. Federal law recognizes the training time and effort may reduce efficiency and increase costs.

We had a young woman about 10 years ago that was a HS junior or senior that wanted to pursue CAD and design. We let he focus on library and system, work that needed to be done, we allowed her to develop a plan and we trained her as needed and she received valuable work experience which is most interns goal. We paid her more than min wage but her hours were limited, I think it was about 12 hours per week based on her class load.

The intern plans are not based on getting cheap labor for no effort.
A-

9/7/17       #6: What would be the issues with young ...
Pat Gilbert

A good point.

A more animated version

9/12/17       #7: What would be the issues with young ...
Mark B

Pat,
Ive often been intrigued about the subtleties of your personality. This provides valuable insight.

9/12/17       #8: What would be the issues with young ...
Mark B

What age is young...

Could be anything from mid teens studying or interested in the trades. The issue of age wouldn't necessarily be pertaining to poaching a low paid/slave labor base, but more so trying to cultivate interest/passion in something other than...

Paul, We do have done the same for many many years. When was in trade school we had a co-op program where if your academic grades allowed in your Junior year of HS you could go out in the field every other cycle (we had two weeks of trade and two weeks of academics). This meant that Junior year you could be in the field for two weeks every other month. In senior year you could be in the field every trade cycle (two weeks per month). We have always tried to take trade kids while they are in school and then carry them through after school. Some success stories, a lot of not (due to our rural area).

We are not looking for low wage slave labor but are also not looking to fall on the sword.

I was more asking how comp, unemployment benefits, and so on are handled as compared to a normal hire.

9/13/17       #9: What would be the issues with young ...
JeffM

IMO, you would be doing a great service to the kids and the community...not necessarily your business. You would almost certainly need one dedicated employee that you write off on his contribution to production while they hold the hand and train your intern. You absolutely can never take anything for granted with a teenager no matter how good you think they might be. Like I said, great thing to do if you're willing to take the hit in production and stay of top of them like a hawk.

9/13/17       #10: What would be the issues with young ...
Paul Miller

Website: http://MCCWOODWORKING.COM

Actually, I didn't feel production took a hit at all when I employed High School students through the school. They work with other employees. They are a Clean Slate, no bad habits, don't tell you how it was done somewhere else and they tend to be very receptive to any knowledge you can pass on to them. I miss that program.

You do have to be careful in your shop. No profanity, no nudie pictures. This isn't a problem in my shop, but some places it might be. I had on a couple of occasions, female students and I was a little more careful with who I would have them work with.

If you do this, just exercise common sense.

9/13/17       #11: What would be the issues with young ...
Pat Gilbert

Yes Mark, I am intriguing.

The cartoon was mistakenly posted to this thread.

9/14/17       #12: What would be the issues with young ...
Markb Member

Mistakenly or not.. Its an interesting post. I've been a Simpson's follower for a long time and am familiar with the episode.

 

Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Site Map

FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)

  • WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
  • Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
  • A valid email return address must be included with each message.
  • Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
  • Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
  • "Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
  • Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
  • Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
  • Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
  • Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
  • Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
  • Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
  • Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
    (return to top).

    Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.

    You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.

    WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.

    Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).

    Libel:   Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.

    Improper Decorum:   Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).

    Advertising:   The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).

    Repeated Forum Abuse: Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.

    There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).

    The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)


  • Forum Posting Help
    Your Name The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
    Your Website Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    E-Mail Address Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
    Subject Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
    Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    Thread Related File Uploads Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .MP4 (Image Upload Tips)   If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)