By Ke1thk
Date 01-30-2009 12:01
Edited 01-30-2009 18:54
It's definitely a problem.
I obtain 100 referrals from the state jobs bank. Of which two or three people can weld, but not pass a test. We hire them. They should be tacking and learning and advancing, until we get busy. Then they're actually welding on parts and we "monitor" them. (Actually our customers monitor them by rejecting their parts for missing welds and other defects.)
When we're slow, we test. They can't pass. I order more material. I have samples of what I need them to weld to pass the test. I've made Power Point presentations that show defects, and their causes. I make them watch me weld a test. They can't pass. I tell my boss.
He says my "expectations" are too high.
I'd say that more than half of our welders are qualified. The rest are "training." Paid training.