*This* is why we do it ourselves

Alas, no.

 

Jolly good. I have the perfect place and time that it's going to go
down like a hand grenade.

 

The big problem with the bias to academic achivement is that the craft
courses at colleges are full of kids that are 2 grades below what's
needed. They will never be able to do anything other than follow the
book.

Or like this guy have spent 5 or 6 years getting higher qualifications
only to re-train in their mid/late 20's.

 

Heh. I was doing a mate's camchain when I discovered a nut was missing
on stitching the bugger back together.
Now, I was absolutely utterly totally bloody sure the nut wasn't down
any of the holes, tunnels, crevices, alleyways of the head because I'd
done an excellent job of blocking them up. So I replaced it from stock,
put the whole thing back together, handed the bike back to him and let
him get on with it.

I mentioned it to him anyway and notwithstanding his worried look,
carried on looking for it on the garage floor. I found it finally,
nestled under a bench leg, but **** knows how it got there.
Jiggerypokery, I assume - his brother was a well-known arsehole.

 

<plays with guns>

Eh?

 

Om diddley ey fo fum.

 

They run away and hide and nobody knows why. Either that or they're *taken*
away and hidden by things unseen and if that's the case it's best not to
know what's doing the taking.

 

Oh, that's nothing. F got a job spec document from a government
agency last week, written using fucking Powerpoint. FFS.

 

Better than the back of a fag packet I normally get.

 

I'd prefer the fag packet.

Anyway, I suspect you've misinterpreted what I mean by 'job spec'; I
mean a description of a role for someone to perform.

 

Late last year, our PMO department produced a new "Project Charter"
one-pager kick-off document.

It was in PowerPoint, with an embedded Excel spreadsheet with external-
linked macros. I was part of the document validation committee. I told
them to **** off with it.

 

Oh right. It doesn't seem to matter what those are written on/in,
they're invariably wrong.

 

He's called "The Nut Monster" and he lives under every bench in every garage
in the world. And he's a **** of the first water. I think I've got 4 of the
bastards.

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

You base this statement on what?

Please tell me you have nothing to do with education.

 

It was certainly the case when I went to school, the "clever" kids
were actively encouraged to do science and humanities based subjects,
and the "thick" kids woodwork, metalwork and art.

 

When I went to school the word "TOLD" was used instead of encouraged.

 

Yep, daughter was top of her year and it was *assumed* she was going
to stay onto 6th form. Today she was offered a perme job as an
Apprentice Tree Surgeon and is loving the role. There is no question
she could have gone further academically but just because she could
didn't mean she wanted to so therefore probably wouldn't enjoy or
succeed at? [1]

Because you chose to do something you were good at and enjoyed. ;-)

T i m

[1] Most of her schoolmates that did stay onto 6th form hate it and
are slowly all turning into smack heads.

 

That was quite a few years ago...

Things change.

 

Indeed. "Resistant materials" it's called now isn't it? It wouldn't
surprise me if all the fun things like milling, turning, welding etc.
are all been banned (if they're not already) due to health and safety.

<googles> Blimey, turning is still on the GCSE syllabus. I'll bet not
many schools offer it though.

 

When daughter was first introduced to her school workshop there were a
load of machines in a taped off area. She asked about them and was
told they were only for the staff to use. When I was at the same
school we had full use of the workshop.

She wasn't too bothered, she's been helping me in our workshop
welding, grinding, drilling and turning (wood and metal) since she was
about 10. ;-)

Also, when she was at school they ran out of materials for the
woodwork class (mainly MDF it appears) and I offered them a load of
clean off cuts via mate (a carpenter) was about to dump them. They
happily took the first batch but the 'system' got wind of it and they
had to refuse any more [1]. For the rest of the term they were on
rations or just went without.

T i m

[1] The actual teacher (good) concerned, who thought the politics was
all bollox, resigned soon after.