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Thread: Industrial monsters.

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    Industrial monsters.

    When I parked my old broken car at the local store I found young girl watching cars and helping people with their tuff. She was really young. I got so angry because this person is not being educated and cannot get ahead in life because they don’t have money needed for training. I wish to continue, I know of six companies that make use of untrained labour and pay them nearly nothing and these individuals is working hard but cannot sustain themselves. Now the first thing I want to know is what benefits does a company receive from the government if this company gives training? Secondly when I look at the amount of people that is looking after cars I know that the system failed them because there is no free skills development program in our community. And before you say anything I wish to point out that we are in the coalmine and power station central! Most of the countries power stations can be found here also there is a lot of mines but not one! Not a single free training facility! What is up with this people? I am angry because these monster industries only benefit themselves. I feel strongly about training and the ability to better yourself. But as I have pointed out!!!! I did my NQF qualifications and not a single company wants to give me exposure rather they will go and get some old man with 30 years of experience to continue his work and you have to sit with your papers knowing that you will never be able to get the practical training needed. I am so sick of this! But there is one more downside a police friend of mine told me that suicide is on the increase among 16 to 18 year olds. Also the 25 to 30 year olds are also showing increase suicides.

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    The worst of it all is! How little people care about any of this! What the hell is wrong with you! What is wrong with this picture! Are we really dead! Don’t you feel anything anymore? Is death and pain really such a normality that we no longer see that these people that is dyeing is human beings! Has life lost its value! Is government so hopelessly corrupted that they will just sit there in there ivory towers and drink wine while the people just gives up on life! What is wrong with you!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!!! What happened to these words “I am a human being G@d d@mn it! our life’s have value” what happened…

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    Where was that discussion about too many people?

    Right now I think it is a case of too much need - not enough capacity. I'll agree some of that capacity is so wasted it borders on criminal.

    I always seem to end up defending business in these sorts of discussions, but someone has to put the other view on this.

    Insulin - you're criticising big business for not doing enough. Please look at those industrial monsters and ask yourself:
    How many people do they employ?
    How many people do they train?
    What percentage relative to their payroll do they spend on training? (I think you'll be surprised).
    How many households are ultimately supported by them?
    How many other businesses are heavily reliant on them?

    Obviously not a coal fired power station, but I remember a while ago the Toyota plant got tied up in a protracted strike. The southern suburbs of Durban died! The downstream consequences of that plant closure were enormous.

    Even with my little operation - if it takes on more than it can afford, it goes under and every one of those current staff members lose their "pitiful" income.

    These are tough times - on both sides of the employer/employee line.

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    I understand that up to a point. However; Telkom made I think 4 to 5 Billion in raw profit in 2008 I stand to be corrected. Eskom is making about R140 to R150 Million a Month again I stand to be corrected. With massif profits like these I am sure a little training facility is possible? But you are right let the youth of today sink or swim... Let us see where we are at in another 10 years from now. With no skill industry can no longer function. I say this because Eskom in particular have staff that is over 60 years old and still actively working and I am not talking about desk jobs... But yea let the youth sink or swim...

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    In the days I was with Eskom the training spend was 5% of payroll. And there was a healthy flow of new blood in all the time. Admittedly it was a long time ago so things could easily have changed, but you really need that blend of new blood and experience.

    The problem with looking at profits of big business is until you scale those profits against the turnover and market capitalisation there is no real sense of perspective.

    I'm curious as to what you think they should do with those "old hands" - send them off to pasture early to make way for the youngsters?

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    First of I will never say get rid of old people at a work place. There experience is priceless and is invaluable to the company. I volunteered at Eskom in hope of a permanent job later on. Sadly the department I worked for got contacted out and I lost a golden life changing opportunity. However I know how important those old hands are. But there is no balance anymore. No new blood... and no opportunities for someone like myself to start to work there and be trained like it was in the old days. And the worst is that even with my NQF I still can’t get in with Eskom or any other big company because there HR departments don’t recognise the system deliberately so as is the case at the mining industry.

    Look all I am saying is an opportunity are none existent and retrenchment is here to stay... Remember I told you my contract is end of life. That is what companies do. You are never a permanent staff member you are an individual that is contracted for 1 year then that contract can be terminated or renewed. See with this in place they don’t need to fire people they just don’t hire them again. Also you don’t get pay increase and stuff like that because you don’t qualify for increase on these types of contracts.

    Trust me when you drift from job to job it is always the same thing over and over you don’t ever get at the top of anything. You have to prove yourself for 3 months then you get your 1 year contract. After the contract is completed they evaluate and sign in new staff the old staff never gets a second change. The reason for this is in IT the young man trained for one year with his own money. You worked for one year then the young man comes in because his training is up to date yours is not.

    This repeats itself year after year. So in the end you end up with R20000 worth of study debt and no way to repay it because your qualification is outdated. You say this can’t be right... well it is happening all over the place especially with the small IT companies. But hay I am just meat right...

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    I got called by an IT college earlier this week because I hadn't signed off my son's contract for his last year of training. I explained he was quite old enough to sign his own contract.

    "So who will be paying?"

    "He will - he's making pretty good money"

    "Oh! That's good to hear" in a surprised tone.

    Well, wasn't that the whole idea? I couldn't help thinking as I put down the phone that this wasn't the usual outcome.

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    I think this story might help put Eskom's profits into perspective.
    Eskom may need to approach the government for yet more support to help fund its R384-billion investment programme, its head was quoted as saying.

    The Treasury said in February it would provide the utility with loan guarantees of R175,97-billion over the next five years, in addition to a R60-billion, three-year direct loan to the company announced last year.

    But Eskom's chief executive Jacob Maroga said the utility might need more.
    full story from M&G here

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    Then it points to one thing. They can do what I cannot. It is all I have to say. Since everyone makes me out to be a liar I will no longer argue the fact that not everyone is excessively lucky in IT or in other jobs. However it is worth mentioning that less companies is signing on permanent stuff. But again I am sure that this can be disproved as well. Opportunities are abundant but we are just too blind to see them. Fine I can live with that and yes there are success stories all around... I really don’t care anymore... Perhaps we just live in such deferent worlds. I am sure that crime and other such fallacies are also existing only in my mind.

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    Quote Originally Posted by insulin View Post
    Since everyone makes me out to be a liar I will no longer argue the fact that not everyone is excessively lucky in IT or in other jobs.
    Quite the contrary. I think it is clear there is a problem and people doing well quite quickly after training is the exception rather than the rule.

    I honestly don't know how to change that other than suggest - try to be that exception! But otherwise you've got to keep going and trying and wrestling with it until the break comes.

    I've got a saying when life is cutting up rough (normally applied to discussions about old age) - it's still better than the alternative.

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