Training to be a Plant Fitter.....

[Lynchy]

Haha recently on major project big lol,two week putting road in up hill to allow moxys to run for years tipping stone....told em 200 mm of stone'ish stuff top of terram,on top of soft ground rolled with 1200, wouldn't work,hey ho two week later,dig it out n start again,thing is much of the staffing on this job is led by 'inclusivity',so supervisors are there more for translation skills,ie.....four stroke petrol engine,'what do I put in here'? Bloke was serious too,then telling me -16 mm down with random s**t stones n stuff dug out of corner of yard cos couldn't get load of type one,watching one get water trailer on back of transit hilariously stuck turning round....nothing said when he bent tow bar of course
Been around long enough to remember craic on open cast,road jobs n sadly lacking these days,just play them at their own game pick holes in paperwork and resume position!
Even bigger lol back for another induction tomorrow,doing work rail side so combination of project n rail paperwork be fun,that's if I pass the inclusivity test

 

[Monkeybusiness]

Haha recently on major project big lol,two week putting road in up hill to allow moxys to run for years tipping stone....told em 200 mm of stone'ish stuff top of terram,on top of soft ground rolled with 1200, wouldn't work,hey ho two week later,dig it out n start again,thing is much of the staffing on this job is led by 'inclusivity',so supervisors are there more for translation skills,ie.....four stroke petrol engine,'what do I put in here'? Bloke was serious too,then telling me -16 mm down with random s**t stones n stuff dug out of corner of yard cos couldn't get load of type one,watching one get water trailer on back of transit hilariously stuck turning round....nothing said when he bent tow bar of course
Been around long enough to remember craic on open cast,road jobs n sadly lacking these days,just play them at their own game pick holes in paperwork and resume position!
Even bigger lol back for another induction tomorrow,doing work rail side so combination of project n rail paperwork be fun,that's if I pass the inclusivity test

Tell them you identify as a blind Muslim lesbian of Fijian descent - that’ll tick a few of their boxes and keep you on hire longer...

 

[Smiffy]

I was going to say as much and point my finger at Uni Graduates and whilst it’s a good thing people are going to Uni they’re coming out with their degrees with no experience straight into positions of being able to call the shots. That’s never right in a million years.....

I think the problem with uni is more than that though it also means that people come out without a passion for the job
It's amazing talking to these people to realise just what shallow lives they live instead where ofcourse money matters as they don't take pride in there job instead they want to boast about how many foreign holidays they go on or how much there finance bill with BMW is
And to be honest I find it all rather pathetic
I would far rather be able to turn round at the end of the day and be able to put my name to something

 

[Cheneyjawa]

Completely agree, for those Uni grads that don’t leave uni after 3 or 4 years to end up working in a Supermarket the others it seems to be a quedos thing, oh look at me with a degree!

It’s a nightmare when they then get into industry and think they no better than people that have been on the ground for years......

 

[Lynchy]

Tell them you identify as a blind Muslim lesbian of Fijian descent - that’ll tick a few of their boxes and keep you on hire longer...

Funnily enough....on the gender n ethnic origin sections pre induction questionnaire I ticked...'prefer not to say',white English speaking deffo minority on/down here

 

[Smiffy]

Completely agree, for those Uni grads that don’t leave uni after 3 or 4 years to end up working in a Supermarket the others it seems to be a quedos thing, oh look at me with a degree!

It’s a nightmare when they then get into industry and think they no better than people that have been on the ground for years......

They also think that there pointless degree puts them above everyone else
We are supposedly in a period of mass unemployment but my boss is desperate for new staff and can't even get anyone to turn up to interview

 

[mart1602]

my fav saying when people ask for the cheapest price ( i can stay home and earn f**k all why should i get up and come here )

 

[Danny]

my fav saying when people ask for the cheapest price ( i can stay home and earn f**k all why should i get up and come here )

Had someone on the phone this week,

Hi, i need a mini digger and operator for 1 day local
Okay , £240 + vat - £288.00
Oh i normally pay £200 inc vat for a day
I suggest you phone who you normaly phone then

 

[doobin]

Had someone on the phone this week,

Hi, i need a mini digger and operator for 1 day local
Okay , £240 + vat - £288.00
Oh i normally pay £200 inc vat for a day
I suggest you phone who you normaly phone then

I wonder why we bother with minis and drivers. Any bloke is £200 plus VAT a day, why should I provide a micro or mini and more importantly burn £20 of diesel getting there for a paltry £50-£70 more?

 

[Danny]

I wonder why we bother with minis and drivers. Any bloke is £200 plus VAT a day, why should I provide a micro or mini and more importantly burn £20 of diesel getting there for a paltry £50-£70 more?

Plenty of people around like it, i prefer to work on price but will undertake some general hire if i can fit it in.

Chap down here is £180 a day for his micro no vat
Another guy £24ph for a wheel digger with diesel no vat

 

[Lancs Lad]

T

I was going to say as much and point my finger at Uni Graduates and whilst it’s a good thing people are going to Uni they’re coming out with their degrees with no experience straight into positions of being able to call the shots. That’s never right in a million years.....

This....I think is a major part of the problem...lemmings go and piss about and run up a huge bill for 4 years and have and "awesome experience" then come out with a degree on the sex life of newts...then wonder why they are working at mcds for years after...
They do NOT want a real job...and then don't get me started on this influencer social media milking shite that kids watch and it convinces them they don't need to work etc etc.

Sorry my kids ...basically no YouTube apart from educational stuff and no phones until they driving .
Live a real life...7 year old drives a mini and can handle an axe...etc etc.

Our city or town as it is really is absolutely taken over by the uni now... litterally millions pouring into it...every Ruddy building is student flats etc...killed the town.

Rant over

 

[JD450A]

They do NOT want a real job...and then don't get me started on this influencer social media milking shite that kids watch and it convinces them they don't need to work etc etc.

Wonder if I could be a influencer

 

[Gunners]

School doesn't mention about a career, it only tells you how to get to college. And College are only interested in sending you to Uni. They get paid per pupil, its their business! And the universities are very good at marketing themselves to become attractive, whereas the construction industry isn't very good at bringing people in. More interested in stealing a competitors staff than training up their own workforce.
I could (and have before) talked at length about how the industry doesn't help itself. Even with brexit looming, foreign labour dwindling and more people retiring from the industry every year than joining it - companies are still blindly cracking on as they always have. Moaning about the problem rather than actually fixing it!
Schools wont change - it takes decades for curriculums to change, the industry needs to get better at marketing itself as an attractive career. As a young lad leaving school - how do you even get a job in the industry let alone know what job you want? This game has such variety of work within it but unless your dad does it, you have no chance of starting out. Thats our biggest problem.

As for work and idiot companies chasing price, I got out of that game a couple of years ago now and am much better off for it. I think things will come around (I know Taylor Wimpey are having to make life a bit easier for their contractors to get them to work for them now - including paying within 30 days!) otherwise nobody will work for these big firms anymore. I turn down work all the time - good work - because the contract is too abrasive before I've even price the job. Long payment terms, LAD's, Retentions, stupid SMAS schemes etc can all do one. Its taking time but I am slowly building a better clientele from not working for the idiots. And with that comes better margins, better quality of work and a much reduced stress level. Sure, its not all clear sailing, I still loose contracts to other people or external reasons, generally they always phone me next time because the last lot didnt do as good a job - you know how it goes! But getting out of the bigger work generally did me a huge favour and I would recommend it to anyone.