To me the OP, or anyones, search for "qualified" help is dependant mainly on location, time/urgency of the need for help, location, and location. I know in my area to find "qualified" help would be a long process unless I got lucky. Filtering through many applicants, and a lot of hours invested, but welcome to the world of open hiring.
Steeliemark,
I dont read much of this thread as negative especially as it relates to younger/green hires but with regards to both the comments seem to resonate with generational tendencies. No one can expect someone green to hit the ground running out of the gate with all that goes on in a shop. Thats someone you will have to be willing to invest a year or more in to get anything out in my opinion but they have to show some core potential pretty much straight away. GC for nearly 30yrs prior to the shop and any plasterer, concrete finisher, carpenter, whoever, who wasnt a ba** busting tyrant, spoke to the fact that you will have a year plus minimum invested in anyone to get them really rolling. And in my opinion you have to be willing to let them, and watch them, make mistakes. The part that resonates with stories like Jims are probably ones we've all dealt with. I have one right now that is almost identical but even a bit more sad is a college graduate. Took weeks of pounding just to get them to show up on time. Endless pounding over phone's during the work day. The miniscule issues of productivity and moving expeditiously and productively through the shop are completely lost on them. Remembering and cataloging basic things like where you got something from and returning it to that location, or repetitive procedures, are like some martian language and if they are remembered for a few days then you move onto something else for a bit the database is completely erased and when you come back to the task you did 300 times last month it has to be completely re-taught. Its something thats just never been instilled in them and by the time they make it to you their core is programmed and is nearly impossible to re-code.
I disagree with Jim that this is an issue of the school system though it definitely plays a part. I had numerous conversations and written end of year reviews with the vo-tech program that these kids were lacking so many of the baseline fundamentals but this program is not a full fledge trade school program so the instructors only have these kids for afternoons a few days a week, a glorified shop class, but none the less. The real problem in my opinion is the increased affluence of even todays middle, lower-middle, forget about upper-middle class families has created a huge percentage of parents who lovingly want their children to thrive and be free spirits and have the world as their oyster. They dont push them, chores, responsibilities, hard work, respect for themselves, employers, teachers, whomever. Forget about experiencing pain, thats off the table. We have a young generation that think nothing of telling the school bus driver to go F themselves and thats IF they even ride the bus because most kids in my rural area, even the poorest of kids, get a ride to school from their parents because its what all the other kids get and they dont want them to be pained to ride the bus (more pampering). When I was in school the bus driver was like a god. If they pulled the bus over, put on the e-brake, and got out of the seat, and you had REALLY stepped in it. No longer. Teachers were at a higher level. Forget about an employer.
A lot of my 30+ in the GC world was residential and when your in peoples world for long periods of time over large projects you somewhat become invisible in and out of their space daily for long periods and you see it all from an outside perspective. All swaddled in gobs of love and good intention, the children are unleashed as an over empowered, poorly equipped, burden on the employer. The old rule of who a person will be in life is pretty much programmed in by the age of 7 or so is fairly accurate in my opinion. Its the responsibility of the home to produce the person not the school systems responsibility to make up for piss poor parenting. Not to say most dont eventually pivot to figure it out later in life but its a tough slog until that happens.
To Steeliemarks direct points:
"Too old to be re-taught (and why do I need that?)" <---- this would caution me greatly. Im learning every day and I would have no notion whatsoever that my routines, my procedures, would be the end-all-be-all or even jive with those of a perspective employer. I would personally crush as an employee as Im humble, head down, know full well how brutal it is to be in business, and would work my butt off for the profitability of the operation but I agree with you, the pay would not work out.
"I'm probably a know it all (well, yeah, compared to some- over 40 years, you gain some experience which I happily share IF asked- I volunteer little)" <---- this would also be of concern. I cut for another shop from the older generation (a mere 20 years older than me) that is also ultra protective of their perceived 50 year old trade secrets and building things exactly as they did in the 60's and cant figure out why they are losing ground. The old "well thats just the way Ive always done it".. in my world thats the death knell. I guarantee you very little of the precious intellectual property any of us think we need to keep hidden in our quiver as our tricks of the trade are very relevant. Better in my opinion to be wide open. The notion of todays shops that work together with other shops down the road are lost on many in that generation. They think everyone is out to steal their business, poach their customers, steal all their "tricks".
"Not sure I can keep up" <--- Wouldnt concern me at all. Having someone that can run tools as long as they arent wreckless bull in a china shop, etc.. A quick glance at the hands can give a slight indication ;-)
"And before you say it, no, I don't want to start a shop" <---- Smart man
So why is there a disconnect here?
I dont think there is a disconnect I think its a difficult business that more often than not can have a hard time paying 25-30-40/hr which is what many today need. That said I do think there is an ever growing generation gap simply because how fast tech and world is moving now. The older crowd is having a harder and harder time keeping up with that speed of change coupled with having to produce work faster and faster and for less and less margin due to global economies and ever changing consumer demands. A lot of the younger kid just dont get it and many just dont seem to have the drive to go after it.