> “We do not have trade schools,” he said. “We are not investing in educating a next generation of people like my grandfather who had nothing, who built a middle class life and a future for his family.”
So put your money where your mouth is and open your own trade school? If someone as incompetent and corrupt as Falwell can open and operate Liberty University, then why can’t CEO Farley?
> Still, part of the problem for the shortage of manufacturing jobs is the lack of education and training, according to Farley. He noted, for example, learning to take a diesel engine out of a Ford Super Duty truck takes at least five years. The current system is not meeting the standard, he added.
Sounds like Ford's #1 problem is failure to train its engineers, in how to design reasonably maintainable vehicles.
Many modern cars are not designed to be easily worked on. I think the priority is ease/cost of initial assembly, only.
My 2010 Mercedes had headlight bulbs that died frequently. But there was no way for a human to reach in and replace them, without either some special tool or disassembling a bunch of stuff at the front of the car. Just one example. You can find many similar complaints elsewhere.
Is the way the Ford engine is installed standard in some way, or does it take 5 years for a Ford engine, 5 for a GMC, ...? Cuz if it's unique to Ford, it's a Ford problem, not a trade school problem.
Six figure hourly-wage "salaries", as long as you put in the 20 hours overtime every week. He also didn't mention the swing shift going from 2 weeks on 3rd, 2 weeks on 2nd, 2 weeks on 1st, and repeat. We can probably find a bunch of other anti-worker issues if we look into it. He also suggests it takes 5 years of education to learn to take out an engine. You're better off getting a college education in that time. Or you'll be dealing with the same engine for the next 30 years. No future. No advancement, No life.
Mechanics at dealerships or assembly line technicians?
Because there's no way those jobs are 6 figures at the dealerships when automakers and dealers push fixed-fee services and severely underrate the hours required.
I tried looking for these on their careers page and I can’t find what he’s talking about. Regardless I don’t think I’d move to Detroit for this. Even if I enjoyed the trade.
Anytime a company says it "can't" fill positions, it's because they're not paying enough, they're unwilling to train, or both. One those few things in life that really is that simple.
Dude is out of his gourd if he believes mechanics are making 6 figures without doing crazy overtime. Just because a job posting is advertised up to 6 figures doesn't mean they will actually offer you such a wage. I live in Michigan and am from a family of mechanics and 95% of mechanics never break $100K ever.
He is also extremely ignorant if he thinks it takes 5 years to learn how to take an engine out of a vehicle, people get PhDs in 5 years, and I could teach someone to remove and replace a certain vehicle's motor in a few days at worst including most of the tips and tricks when things don't go smoothly, after a year I would expect them to be able to take out any motor from any vehicle without guidance. Taking a motor out of a vehicle is one of the easier parts of a mechanic's job, the hard part is being able to diagnose problems without tearing the entire motor out before you know it needs to, or figuring out how to fix a problem without tearing apart every nut and bolt on the car per the official repair, especially as a dealership mechanic where you only get paid a set minimum price for each job no matter how long it takes you in reality. Sure a brand new vehicle might have bolts that spin off in 10 seconds, but the crusty rusted out car from Michigan salted roads might require torches to remove it or time to extract a broken bolt, or drilling and tapping and helicoiling a stripped hole. Even if the hourly labor was free, the parts that either MUST be replaced once bolts are pulled and seals broken, or will inevitably be broken in the process of removal no matter how careful you are, still cost money.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 40.5 ms ] threadSo put your money where your mouth is and open your own trade school? If someone as incompetent and corrupt as Falwell can open and operate Liberty University, then why can’t CEO Farley?
I'm guessing it involves some front-end expense - which (like all business expenses) are at odds with shareholder wishes.
Sounds like Ford's #1 problem is failure to train its engineers, in how to design reasonably maintainable vehicles.
>> He noted, for example, learning to take a diesel engine out of a Ford Super Duty truck takes at least five years.
>> The current system is not meeting the standard, he added.
I fully agree with your opinion .... but this guy's quote is bizarre.
What system is failing to meet the 5-years-to-learn-how-to-remove-one-particular-engine standard?
High school trades? Community college? Private $xx,000 high-debt mechanic school?
None of these are remotely capable of teaching Ford's hyper-narrow specialization. Trying to would be a disaster.
My 2010 Mercedes had headlight bulbs that died frequently. But there was no way for a human to reach in and replace them, without either some special tool or disassembling a bunch of stuff at the front of the car. Just one example. You can find many similar complaints elsewhere.
Honestly starting to feel the same way about developing software.
HN discussion of related article - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45500699
Because there's no way those jobs are 6 figures at the dealerships when automakers and dealers push fixed-fee services and severely underrate the hours required.
He is also extremely ignorant if he thinks it takes 5 years to learn how to take an engine out of a vehicle, people get PhDs in 5 years, and I could teach someone to remove and replace a certain vehicle's motor in a few days at worst including most of the tips and tricks when things don't go smoothly, after a year I would expect them to be able to take out any motor from any vehicle without guidance. Taking a motor out of a vehicle is one of the easier parts of a mechanic's job, the hard part is being able to diagnose problems without tearing the entire motor out before you know it needs to, or figuring out how to fix a problem without tearing apart every nut and bolt on the car per the official repair, especially as a dealership mechanic where you only get paid a set minimum price for each job no matter how long it takes you in reality. Sure a brand new vehicle might have bolts that spin off in 10 seconds, but the crusty rusted out car from Michigan salted roads might require torches to remove it or time to extract a broken bolt, or drilling and tapping and helicoiling a stripped hole. Even if the hourly labor was free, the parts that either MUST be replaced once bolts are pulled and seals broken, or will inevitably be broken in the process of removal no matter how careful you are, still cost money.