I learned most of what I know with OJT, self education (reading before online existed), talking and listening and a few seminars. And a whole lot of thinking about the subject.
If you want to learn you can, some guys are content being average others want more. How many electricians are there in the USA, how many bother to come to sites like this to ask questions and learn?
I've been the same way, but how do you find guys like you and I (guys like participate on this forum)? How do you find the people with a passion for the trade; a passion for learning? I've been thinking a lot about that the last couple days.
Traditionally, when hiring TRAINED electricians, a company will:
-Give a knowledge test, either by oral interview or written test
-Occasionally move on to some version of a hand's on test
This shows that an electrician can do the job, but do they have the willingness or capacity to learn even more beyond what they know already?
Traditionally, when hiring SEMI-trained electricians/helpers, a company will:
-Give a knowledge test, either by oral interview or written test
-Give a general aptitude test to try to determine if they have the ability to learn more.
This shows that an electrician has some skill, may be able to learn more things, but does not accurately gauge whether he has the willingness or passion to learn more.
Traditionally, when hiring UN-trained helpers, a company will:
-Give an oral interview to try to gauge temperament
-Give a general aptitude test to try to determine if they have the ability to learn trade topics.
This shows that a person will probably fit in the culture of the company and should be able to learn some things. This still does not gauge his willingness or desire to do more than earn a paycheck, as Ken rightly assesses it.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&& (ode to Telsa)
The huge thing that's missing from the hiring process (and this goes directly to the training process) is the gauge or test of a man's willingness and passion to learn even more. We can test what he knows. We can test his general aptitude. We can't test his DESIRE. We can't test his PASSION. I have a couple of ideas on how that could be done, but I'll end this post here. I submit that until we can sort out those with desire, getting the puzzle of how to train electricians solved is a moot point.
