Toilet Rolls - Now Petrol/diesel!

[floydraser]

28 minutes ago, Hylander said:

I too did not go to university,  never even had the chance , we are talking early 60s.     I was informed very early on by my parents that if I wanted to remain in their house I had to get a job and pay my keep.  I was 15 years old.   Boy how things have changed.  Never did me any harm though.   I decided very early on to start at the bottom and at every opportunity I got to cover for someone who was on holiday or off sick I covered for them and gained a lot of experience in doing so.    Before long there was a vacancy further up the ladder and I applied and got it.    As Fred says - the experience of the university of life.

Thank you for that, my experience exactly. Same for millions of us I guess and at the time it was normal thinking. 

[YnysMon]

11 hours ago, Mouldy said:

No disrespect intended, Helen. But when we have a skills shortage in so many areas now that the government want to fill with our own workers, I still think that there should be more apprenticeships available and moreover promoted as a viable alternative to a university education.  

I agree, I'm not advocating that everyone should go to Uni, although a lot of Uni's deliver higher apprenticeships these days. 

Actually, I have had a new job since the 1st September, I'm now working within the Apprenticeships Team at the OU.  The OU's apprenticeships include ones in Nursing, Social Work, Police Constable, Cyber Security and Software Development.

[rightsaidfred]

Much the same here except schooling from end of the 40s through the 50s, university's were unheard of except for the few but ours and our parents generation managed to rebuild the country with all the necessary skills and turned out some world beating innovation at the  same time.

Fred

[Mouldy]

32 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

I agree, I'm not advocating that everyone should go to Uni, although a lot of Uni's deliver higher apprenticeships these days. . . . . . .

Again, not meaning to be disrespectful and I know you’re not as old as I, but let’s say of the same generation, when you went to Uni, it was special.  Few school leavers went and it possibly meant more than now, where probably more than 50% of school leavers go on to further education.

That said, one of my school friends attended Uni and gained a BA and an MA in some art related field, but for a long time worked as a porter in a Leeds hospital as his qualifications warranted a salary that few places could afford.  He later became a teacher and put at least some of his skills to good use.

39 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Actually, I have had a new job since the 1st September, I'm now working within the Apprenticeships Team at the OU.  The OU's apprenticeships include ones in Nursing, Social Work, Police Constable, Cyber Security and Software Development.

But none in, how shall we express this, the building trades, where we have a chronic shortage at the moment.  Bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, carpenters - I could go on, as well as the much publicised logistics industry, hospitality, care work (an ever growing requirement in an ageing population).

Perhaps one of the factors is the loss of our industrial base since the eighties.  You won’t remember Wolverton Carriage Repair Works as it was (probably).  At its peak, more than 5000 worked there, when I moved to Milton Keynes in the late 70’s, there was still a workforce of more than 2,500.  Every year, there was an intake from the local schools into their apprenticeship programme.  Apprenticeships were in railway oriented areas, but skills like electrician (plant and vehicle based), carpenter, welder, vehicle builder, engineer can easily transfer into the outside world.

The demise of such places has clearly impacted similar apprenticeship programmes.  I guess that car manufacturers, toolmakers and large engineering companies would have had similar schemes, taking school leavers and training them to work in their businesses.  As industries have closed, so apprenticeship places have been lost and the drive to university education has taken its place.  I think it needs to change and the benefits of having a trade explained as being equal to having a degree.

Sorry to be contentious, but there is a reason behind the current shortages of workers in so many areas and if the government wants us to be in a position to fill these roles without foreign sourced labour, the focus on training school leavers for the future must change.  Sadly, not everyone will be sitting behind a desk, working 9 to 5, Monday to Friday for a high salary and good prospects.

[CambridgeCabby]

The demise of a manufacturing nation and loss of the skills ,so admired by many, of our work force IMO was compounded by the move to turn our technical colleges into Red Brick University’s where instead of learning a trade the youth of today study (and I say that loosely) media studies or fashion or sports science or similar subjects merely to obtain a degree of some level.

Where once was taught bricklaying , plumbing , electricians and practical workplace skills many youngsters now graduate with a degree of no use in the workplace , I say this not belittling those whom actually studied the subjects mentioned because they had an interest in the actual subjects as opposed to the “soft option degree” that they are often considered .

Now with the demise of a qualified overseas workforce we are seeing what we have actually lost and I for one hope the traditional technical and practical colleges make a comeback .

[TheQ]

23 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

 

Perhaps one of the factors is the loss of our industrial base since the eighties.  You won’t remember Wolverton Carriage Repair Works as it was (probably).  At its peak, more than 5000 worked there, when I moved to Milton Keynes in the late 70’s, there was still a workforce of more than 2,500.  Every year, there was an intake from the local schools into their apprenticeship programme.  Apprenticeships were in railway oriented areas, but skills like electrician (plant and vehicle based), carpenter, welder, vehicle builder, engineer can easily transfer into the outside world.

 

I certainly remember, the lunch time charge from the carriage Works across the road to the pubs the other side.. They just poured out of the works  not looking at the traffic just aiming to get a pint or two or three in lunch hour

[Bikertov]

We have very much become a service based industry in this country. Manufacturing and construction has been lost to the far east among other places.

Add into the mix that the UK seems to have had far too much foreign 'investment' (I consider this selling the family silver - if the investment is from overseas, then who own us and where do you thing the profits go - back overseas of course !)

Over the years we have also relied on foreign workers, many from eastern Europe, for our construction industry along with other industries. My opinion is that 'we', ie UK workers, don't like getting our hands too dirty.

Please understand, I believe these are factual comments, and not meant to show any disrespect to overseas workers, businesses or industries in the slightest.

So we have lost a lot of the knowledge and skills to create and make things, relying on cheap imports of goods and labour.

Also, IMHO, the idea of 50% or more of school leavers going to university is flawed to say the least - more madness in my mind. Why ? Because there will never be 50% of the jobs in this, country being graduate jobs. So most graduates will waste the education and cost of providing it.

For the record, I left school at 16 with good O levels, and did an apprenticeship in Electronic Engineering, including 4 years day release to get an HNC. I worked in the defence electronics industry to start with, but now run my own business employing 50+ staff. 

[Vaughan]

The apprenticeship for a Broads boatbuilder was 7 years and for an engineer - 5 years.  I am a "time served" painter and yacht rigger - 3years.  Apart from O levels, it is still my only trade qualification!

By the way, whatever happened to the City and Guilds?

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Big problem in this day in age is youngsters are wrapped in cotton wool.. They leave school into college not learning any hands on experience and expect everything to be done for them..  It’s all wrong, that’s why there’s a skill shortage no one coming up through the ranks anymore.. This situation needs to change fast.. 

[grendel]

2 minutes ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

This situation needs to change fast.

while there are still some of the old hands available to train the youngsters

[vanessan]

I was awful at school in my teens, although expected to achieve a number of GCEs I left with one - cookery! My grandmother persuaded me to apply for a job in a bank but I told her I didn’t want to ‘work in a stuffy old bank’! However, I applied and 35 years later was extremely fortunate to be able to retire early. I did a few voluntary jobs until my OH retired and we bought our boat. During my time in the ‘stuffy old bank’, I saw many undergraduates come and go. Many were brilliant and certainly must have gone on to exhilarating careers. There were, however, quite a number who were excellent at learning and passing exams but incredibly poor at people skills and putting any knowledge to practical use. Banking of course has now changed beyond recognition and in this computer age maybe much more suitable to those with degrees etc. (I’m glad I’m not in ‘banking’ these days, that’s for sure!)
 

[BroadAmbition]

where we have a chronic shortage at the moment.  Bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, carpenters - I could go on

Your not wrong, the number of enquiries I get from clients wanting an estimate then having to explain that I can pop round and do an estimate but as I write this on 06th Oct my work diary is currently rammed full to mid March.  It's not like I'm charging bottom prices either, although to be fair I'm not that clued up on what other tilers are charging nowadays

For a good few years in the RN, I often used to find mysen in a classroom facing university students intent on joining the RN.  I was instructing in either communications / seamanship / ships husbandry or navigation.  Me with just the one O level (Which was in metal and wood work of course).  Where did it all go wrong?

Anyroadup - Those university students could work our the square root of a jar of marmalade in their heads

However if I asked them to get the lid off . . . . . . .

Griff

[HEM]

6 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Me with just the one O level (Which was in metal and wood work of course).

Ha - I got "O" level Woodwork in 1968, along with a handful of others.  No metal back in those days.

Served to be usedful when we bought our house in Northern Germany & I made a rack to fill one wall
of a cellar - probably far too massive but its served us 30+ years.

[Hylander]

7 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

 

However if I asked them to get the lid off . . . . . . .

Griff

Oh how true...   My sister, the brainy one , went to The Blue Coat School on Blackheath and went on in later life I might add to University and got a degree , is the most impractical person I have ever met.   

[TheQ]

going back to the original subject, yesterday fuel at Blue Boar tescos, Roy's actually in Wroxham, Wayford Bridge , and Tesco's Stalham..

Though It's took forever to fuel my land  rover, I suspect they've turned the fuel pressure down..

[Smoggy]

9 minutes ago, TheQ said:

going back to the original subject,

Whoa there! This is the NBN you know, there's no need for rash moves like that....

Real life and a session on the workshop floor will teach far more than any uni course.

[TheQ]

1 minute ago, Smoggy said:

Whoa there! This is the NBN you know, there's no need for rash moves like that....

Real life and a session on the workshop floor will teach far more than any uni course.

Well I did call it a "subject" to carry on the train of thought...

[CeePee1952]

Woke up this morning thinking - maybe I should ask the admin team if they can change the title of this thread to "What shortage next?"  Just been reading about Nestles alleged supply chain problem with the infamous Quality Street brand and Lion Bars!!! So far I think we've covered toilet rolls, petrol/diesel and construction.

For Admin - is it possible??

Chris

[LizG]

There's a shortage of cat vaccines!!!! We tried to book two of our cats in for their annual MOT which includes the customary jab (we had had a text reminder from the vets) only to be told they couldn't do it for a few months because of the vaccine shortage.  As we found out during Lockdown 1 cats can wait up to 3 months before it becomes essential.  They are prioritising first time vaccinations!

Our local Petrol Station has run out again of all fuels!

[unclemike]

38 minutes ago, LizG said:

There's a shortage of cat vaccines

there is a shortage of  phials for blood samples so pat has had a blood test postponed indefinitely (1 month so far)

[SteveO]

Now there's a thought... Manipulate supply to create a shortage, then use the shortage to jack the price up. Now why didn't I think of that?

[batrabill]

33 minutes ago, SteveO said:

Now there's a thought... Manipulate supply to create a shortage, then use the shortage to jack the price up. Now why didn't I think of that?

Ah, it’s a conspiracy! 
 

 

[floydraser]

Fosse park, Liecester: Sainsburys Diesel £1.33.7 - Asda £1.34.7 and plenty of it, no queues. I'll be over at the weekend to winterise. 

[grendel]

12 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

  Me with just the one O level (Which was in metal and wood work of course).

I was unlucky, at my school you couldnt do woodwork, metalwork and technical drawing at o level together, you could do any 2 of the 3, so I ended up with an o level in woodwork and one in technical drawing (along with the rest of the subjects - we were expected to sit at least 10 o levels, some did 12. my best choice was misbehaving in the woodwork class for which I was punished by staying in the woodwork room at lunch times sharpening the chisel I had blunted trying to cut the bench, this showed me that lunch times could profitably be spent in the woodwork shop, and I was hooked, I was there every hour I could manage, and learned far more than I might otherwise have. the technical drawing, well I just seemed to have the knack for that and its been my career ever since.

[vanessan]

3 hours ago, CeePee1952 said:

Nestles alleged supply chain problem with the infamous Quality Street brand

They’re all in our local Tesco, stacks of them!