A Lack of Trained Staff or a Lack of Interested Staff?

[WebRam]

by Brian Sweeting

Let me state first off that I do not hold any current qualifications for the job that I do other than the general ability to get the job done, normally, and to keep the governor happy. I used to hold a refrigerant safe handling ticket but my present firm doesn’t insist on it and neither does our Government. I just have to keep myself up to date, use common sense and think about the state of the world that I am leaving for my future grandchildren.

Within the UK we seem able and willing to let the more able members of staff fade away without any real thought on replacing them. Now I have to admit that this is a pet tirade of mine ever since accountants began running the manufacturing companies instead of engineers.

An engineer used to be a person of some standing within the world, a man who could turn a piece of raw material into an item that the world wanted and definitely needed.

Apprenticeships seem rare nowadays and younger members of staff don’t often show much interest in the art of learning. Now learning is an art, it shouldn’t be a chore unless the tutor has lost interest in both the student and the subject matter. When I was younger, oh so long ago, they based my schooling around technical subjects, woodwork, metalwork, science etc., these seem alien in our modern society and that is sad.

So back to the title, are the younger employees more interested in their pay packet than the quality of their work; at my place of work I think they are. Yes, they go to college one day a week and are taught the principals and mechanics of air conditioning and refrigeration. However I get the impression that they absorb only enough knowledge to pass their tests. They get very little chance to use what they have learnt because time and money rule.

If they are only doing enough then we are failing them and eventually ourselves. They should be encouraged to learn, grow and gather enthusiasm for the world around them.

Now I lay the blame for this at our lords and masters; do they want the job done right or just the job done? Should we blame the customer for insisting on the lowest price at all times without regard to the quality of the product? How often do we see the accountant using a blinkered outlook - low capital expenditure followed by increased maintenance revenue costs (but by another department!).

Is there enough incentive to encourage the youngsters to gain knowledge?

Sadly in the world of getting your hands dirty I think not. The rulers of this land, Government and accountants, seem to think that the world looks after itself, nobody repairs it, builds it, moves it or paints it, it just happens. Their ideal would be a computer with a built-in tool kit because ‘we are in the service industry’. Poppy****, we need trained men and women who can hold a spanner, a screwdriver or a multimeter, use their brain and keep this world revolving.

We appear to have too many Standards across the globe and not enough people agreeing to them. To my knowledge the USA has their EPA regulations which seem to be upheld, all well and good, but on the global scale they want to continue with general atmospheric pollution. Here in the UK we are trying to reduce global pollution but don’t care less about the qualifications of the people handling the pollutants. Is it mad, sad or just me?

So how do we change the world?

I don’t know; I wonder though - how about we turn off all the refrigeration and air conditioning plant and wait for it to hit the rotating ventilation device?

[Manny]

I thought you were just concerned about creating means on how to make today's youngsters get really interested or trained in their field of work, esp. refrigeration and aiconditioning.. at the end of your message, i was surprised to read the question, 'how do we change the world?' :confused:

[shogun7]

I thought you were just concerned about creating means on how to make today's youngsters get really interested or trained in their field of work, esp. refrigeration and aiconditioning.. at the end of your message, i was surprised to read the question, 'how do we change the world?' :confused:

One day at a time with instructors who really care and are able to show students the vast amount of opprtunities avaiaible to those who are really understand the Principles of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating.
Some students seem naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need-or expect-their instructors to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them: "Effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability ... to maintain the interest that brought students to the course in the first place. Whatever level of motivation students bring to the classroom will be transformed, for better or worse, by what happens in that classroom.
Unfortunately, there is no single magical formula for motivating students. Many factors affect a given student's motivation to work and to learn (Bligh, 1971; Sass, 1989): interest in the subject matter, perception of its usefulness, general desire to achieve, self-confidence and self-esteem, as well as patience and persistence. And, of course, not all students are motivated by the same values, needs, desires, or wants. Some students will be motivated by the approval of others, some by overcoming challenges.
To encourage students to become self-motivated independent learners, instructors can do the following:
·Give frequent, early, positive feedback that supports students' beliefs that they can do well.
·Ensure opportunities for students' success by assigning tasks that are neither too easy nor too difficult.
·Help students find personal meaning and value in the material.
·Create an atmosphere that is open and positive.
·Help students feel that they are valued members of a learning community.
Research has also shown that good everyday teaching practices can do more to counter student apathy than special efforts to attack motivation directly (Ericksen, 1978). Most students respond positively to a well-organized course taught by an enthusiastic instructor who has a genuine interest in students and what they learn. Thus activities you undertake to promote learning will also enhance students' motivation. When I think about what students want, I know that classes that deliver the same old message of "sit down, shut up, and listen so that you can memorize facts to dump onto a test sheet" probably are not going to motivate them. It seems clear that students are not necessarily unmotivated or unwilling learners; they are simply uninvolved in the depersonalization of the traditional classroom. They are willing to learn; they simply may not be able to endure the way they are taught. I now know that if I really want to see motivation in my students, I have to be motivated to rethink what it is I am doing to them. :)