Solar Farm #2, dangers involved.

[5030]

Interestingly, one of my close friends and hunting partner's is a plant manager at an industrial based plant / industry in Indiana, close to South Bend and he is having issues (and has been) with actually hiring employees that can pass a drug screen (which is mandatory in an industrial setting) or the ones he does hire want immediate top tier wage and all benefits right from the get go and some he does manage to hire, work a day or two and never come back when they realize that it's actual physical work.

They prefer playing video games and talking and texting on their cell phones (cell phones are not allowed in the plant during working hours for obvious reasons, they are distracting and can be a direct cause of injury.

Indiana nay be bustling as far as jobs are concerned but filling them with drug free qualified people is another story entirely.

 

[MossRoad]

Interestingly, one of my close friends and hunting partner's is a plant manager at an industrial based plant / industry in Indiana, close to South Bend and he is having issues (and has been) with actually hiring employees that can pass a drug screen (which is mandatory in an industrial setting) or the ones he does hire want immediate top tier wage and all benefits right from the get go and some he does manage to hire, work a day or two and never come back when they realize that it's actual physical work.

They prefer playing video games and talking and texting on their cell phones (cell phones are not allowed in the plant during working hours for obvious reasons, they are distracting and can be a direct cause of injury.

Indiana nay be bustling as far as jobs are concerned but filling them with drug free qualified people is another story entirely.

Yes, that's what I've heard as well. I was just talking to an A&P mechanic over the weekend who works in Chicago and who's nearing retirement. He said he's been through 6-7 airlines over the years that fold up, merge, etc., but he's always been able to find work quickly because he can pass a drug test. Said they're having a tough time filling positions. I guess a lot of A&P mechanics came out of the military and not too many are anymore. It's a field that will require many people in the near future. Probably a good trade for a young person to get into. That, electricians, plumbers, etc.

 

[Eagle1]

Yes, that's what I've heard as well. I was just talking to an A&P mechanic over the weekend who works in Chicago and who's nearing retirement. He said he's been through 6-7 airlines over the years that fold up, merge, etc., but he's always been able to find work quickly because he can pass a drug test. Said they're having a tough time filling positions. I guess a lot of A&P mechanics came out of the military and not too many are anymore. It's a field that will require many people in the near future. Probably a good trade for a young person to get into. That, electricians, plumbers, etc.

So the trades that don't require an degree but lots of ability to learn on your own?

 

[MossRoad]

So the trades that don't require a degree but lots of ability to learn on your own?

I don't think it's learning on your own. Most want at least a high school diploma or GED as I've heard. And if you want to progress up to management, you're probably going to need some college eventually.

When you think of a trade and an apprenticeship, it's really like going to school. You have on the job training and many of them do have classroom settings. You don't learn things on your own at first. But you do need the ability to grasp concepts and understand why you're doing what you're doing.

There's an IBEW learning center here in town. A roofers learning center. Carpenters union. Quite a few. They are schools, in my opinion.

 

[Eagle1]

I don't think it's learning on your own. Most want at least a high school diploma or GED as I've heard. And if you want to progress up to management, you're probably going to need some college eventually.

When you think of a trade and an apprenticeship, it's really like going to school. You have on the job training and many of them do have classroom settings. You don't learn things on your own at first. But you do need the ability to grasp concepts and understand why you're doing what you're doing.

There's an IBEW learning center here in town. A roofers learning center. Carpenters union. Quite a few. They are schools, in my opinion.

I'm "trained" on airplanes, car/motorcycles, Industrial equipment and IT. Been schooled but most learning was done on my own during my off hours and on the job. You learn the theory in school but don't understand until you are in the trenches. Some never do and are parts changers at best.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm "trained" on airplanes, car/motorcycles, Industrial equipment and IT. Been schooled but most learning was done on my own during my off hours and on the job. You learn the theory in school but don't understand until you are in the trenches. Some never do and are parts changers at best.

I got my basics down in tech college in electronics, got a job installing/maintaining production equipment in the newspaper industry, worked with an electrician for a couple years and spent a good amount of time with him doing hands-on work under his supervision. I did learn to program programmable controllers on my own, but had a basic knowledge of ladder diagrams and logic from tech college. I had to learn basic computer skills to shut down the computers to repair/maintain the drive motors, showed them that I was comfortable with that equipment and from there was given the opportunity to move into IT. While I did learn a lot on my own, I also took the educational benefit my employer offered and went to school for training in operating systems, network, database, installation, design and operation, etc. I also spent a good deal of time at factory training facilities on the east and west coasts for our near continuous upgrading of production equipment.

Schooling is important. Learning from someone on the job is important. In a mission critical 24/7/365 operation, I'd be hesitant to let someone learn on their own through experimentation on live systems or processes. Been there, done that, cleaned up the mess. They had really good intentions, but did not understand the ramifications or scope of their actions should it fail.

 

[Eagle1]

I got my basics down in tech college in electronics, got a job installing/maintaining production equipment in the newspaper industry, worked with an electrician for a couple years and spent a good amount of time with him doing hands-on work under his supervision. I did learn to program programmable controllers on my own, but had a basic knowledge of ladder diagrams and logic from tech college. I had to learn basic computer skills to shut down the computers to repair/maintain the drive motors, showed them that I was comfortable with that equipment and from there was given the opportunity to move into IT. While I did learn a lot on my own, I also took the educational benefit my employer offered and went to school for training in operating systems, network, database, installation, design and operation, etc. I also spent a good deal of time at factory training facilities on the east and west coasts for our near continuous upgrading of production equipment.

Schooling is important. Learning from someone on the job is important. In a mission critical 24/7/365 operation, I'd be hesitant to let someone learn on their own through experimentation on live systems or processes. Been there, done that, cleaned up the mess. They had really good intentions, but did not understand the ramifications or scope of their actions should it fail.

Sound like my path, but other than my OJT and military all other school came on my time not company time. I'm nosey enough to want to know how stuff works and don't give up easy.

 

[Hay Dude]

I can agree with most of that. However, on the subject of solar panels, they weren't being made in volume here to being with. So those jobs were never lost.

Thinking about coal mines 100 years ago and manual labor, as things got automated, thousands of coal mining jobs went away. Those are jobs that will never come back, regardless of if coal would continue or not.

Everything changes always.

I can drive by the Studebaker plant and remember all the activity and buildings. They closed when I was a little kid. 1963. People went nuts. Then a local clothing store owner had this to say...

From this article, written my Jack Colwell. He broke the story in 1963. I had the pleasure of working with him for 30 years. He's still writing today.

(it's a great update article he wrote in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of Studebaker's closing)

Breaking the news: Studebaker closing

Like most folks in and around South Bend at the time, I’ll always remember when the news broke that Studebaker was ending auto production in the city. Especially, since I broke the news.

www.southbendtribune.com

"Most folks in and around South Bend at the time also remember the words of Paul D. Gilbert, a prominent clothing store owner who joined with Schurz to head a committee working quickly and as effectively as possible to deal with the Studebaker loss.

Gilbert’s message, far different than a warning of going down in flames, was a rallying cry: “This is not Studebaker, Indiana. This is South Bend, Indiana.” It was and it is."



My point being, everything changes. Putting your eggs in one basket rarely ends well. While the closing of Studebaker, and several other companies over the years were big blows to the community, the area rebounded and diversified its industries. Today, it continues to grow and prosper. Those that hang on to the past will get left behind.

Solar energy is just a step towards another form of power. Will it stick around as long as coal? Will nuclear finally be taken advantage of (you know I'm a pro nuclear power person as we've discussed this many times)? Is solar just a stop-gap until then or will we go back to NG or coal?

Who knows?

All I know is currently, here at least, the job market is booming. The trades are growing. Construction of factories, warehouses, power facilities, universities, apartment complexes, houses, etc., are all over the place here.

If the economy is so poor, who's living in all of these apartments and new houses? Where are they working? These aren't inexpensive homes.

I only know 1 person that is currently looking for a job, and that's because they want to stay in that particular field.

From that, I think, regardless of the numbers I read, or the pundits spewing whichever side they're hawking, things are going in a positive direction.

As you pointed out yourself, millions of smokestack industry jobs are gone. Also, automobiles run with about 1/10th the emissions they produced just 40 years ago. Yet now we are being forced to “comply or die” in about what is it like 8 years? Unless, we convert to Chinese made solar panels and batteries mined with African child/slave labor.

I just watched a true meteorologist and climate scientist prove the earth was warmer during the Roman empire than it is now.

Just sounds real fishy to me. I will continue to push for CLEAN AMERICAN made alternative energy.

You can have your chinese/African made crap. All that stuff is tainted with the original sin of slavery & child abuse.

How shameful when our country pushes for “reparations” for slavery, yet builds it’s new solar energy grid and batteries, chips & electronics made by a nation who uses SLAVERY in part to build them.

 

[Roric]

The American Lung Association released a new report explaining how if drivers stop using conventional air-polluting vehicles and the U.S. cleans up its power grid, 89,000 lives and nearly $1 trillion in health costs could be saved by the middle of the century, as reported by Grist.

 

[Roric]

And I am aware a diesel tractor is a large contributor.


R