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Opportunities sparse for young workers

A reader responds to the Gazette's editorial about younger workers.

Re: Younger workers may save us all

This topic is interesting. With the new crop wanting to work shorter hours in almost every discipline, it will hopefully lead to more relaxed and happier people. That is, if they can save enough to survive their retirement.

It seems a challenge for established business and professional leaders to take on someone who won’t be really good until they’ve worked hard for the better part of a decade. It takes years to really know your business, be it legal, medical or technical.

Another question today is this matter of colleges like Camosun churning out potential apprentices such as electricians who, like our son, are finding no work. None. Our son is a healthy and bright graduate with a 97 per cent grade in Camosun’s electrical program. He has a solid track record of years of reliable performance in his previous employment, no drug problems, reads math and physics for interest, is quiet, cheerful and hard-working. But there’s no work. Nothing.

So this particular industry (can it be the only one?) is certainly not able or willing to absorb even top graduates. I wonder what the hardship is – there must be a genuine business case here – with the apprenticeship program that makes it cost-adverse to take on high quality products of these much-touted training programs. Your paper might explore this.

Rod SmithView Royal