Experience Shortage??

Blondie919

There is often talk about a skills shortage in employment but you don't really hear so much of an experience shortage. But I am seeing evidence of it regularly lately. I get that there is an unemployment crisis in this country but doesn't that mean that there are countless skilled workers out there looking for work? Skilled with experience? They all haven't emigrated surely?

I ask because the company I work for are seeking an experienced forklift driver and are not having much luck. They have been supplied by two drivers by a recruitment agency; one on Thursday and one on Friday. Neither of them has experience of driving a counterbalance forklift. Both of them did a driver training course and had gotten their licences. Neither of them are suitable for the job.

One of them told me that the recruitment agency told him that he has to say he has experience or else he won't get a job. That is a bit crazy, no? I do realise that you have to be given a chance to earn experience but I guess what I find difficult to understand is, where are all the experienced forklift drivers? Do they all have jobs already? There must be some searching for work??

I will admit that the position is for night shift work but surely there is someone out there with a preference to work than be on the dole? I myself made that decision last year. Yeah night shift is hard but I bring home a weekly wage which is considerably better than what I got on the dole. Working is better for the mind than being on the dole I think.

FortySeven

How are they supposed to get experience? Perhaps your company could invest in them? There are drivers out there with experience but they are on experienced wages. Perhaps you don't pay enough? Agency work is regarded by most as a way to get experience to get into a proper job so you are looking in the wrong place for a start.

Tomagotchye

But you're doing it. Needed:forklift driver.
Here's a certificate stating I can do this.
Nope, cant hire you...no experience.

It's a forklift you're talking about. If somebody has a license I dont ask for their experience when I get in the car with them. I assume that peice of paper means they are competent

ShaShaBear

I would imagine that experienced forklift drivers are applying for jobs independently and probably having success. I find that people tend to go to agencies if they do not have the experience. If every job that becomes available asks for experienced staff only then there are naturally going to be a bunch of qualified but inexperienced individuals who will not get the job and remain inexperienced.

For example, I have a degree. I applied for many jobs and even got a few interviews, but was turned down at every avenue because they need someone they don't have to train. I have no experience, despite being qualified. I'm also never going to get experienced unless someone employs me. "Sitting on the dole" isn't really a life choice for me, it's my only option until I either find a company willing to take me on based only on my qualification or I find a way to get experience that doesn't leave my family financially crippled.

marketty

You will either have to pay more for an experienced person or invest in newly qualified guys so they can gain experience. Thankfully with the country starting to get back on its feet again, employers can't always get experienced workers for new entrant pay

Blondie919

FortySeven wrote: »

How are they supposed to get experience? Perhaps your company could invest in them? There are drivers out there with experience but they are on experienced wages. Perhaps you don't pay enough? Agency work is regarded by most as a way to get experience to get into a proper job so you are looking in the wrong place for a start.

I don't know how much the company is offering, could well be not enough. Thing is, I'm just an employee and there is only a small crew of us on night shift. It doesn't help us at all if the company gets someone that needs to be trained in how to operate a forklift. It will aid us if the right person comes in and can do the job without too much instruction. Maybe I'm asking for too much?

Thanks for the advice though, I will suggest management puts an ad in the paper instead of looking in recruitment agencies.

GalwayGrrrrrl

How long would it take to train someone in how to use the forklift? Forgive my ignorance but it doesn't look like rocket science...

bladebrew

xfactorfan23 wrote: »

How long would it take to train someone in how to use the forklift? Forgive my ignorance but it doesn't look like rocket science...

It's only 3 days training to go from no experience to a licence, but it's the previous experience that is the problem!

ph5.5

Any forklift job going in cork

Labarbapostiza

Blondie919 wrote: »

I ask because the company I work for are seeking an experienced forklift driver and are not having much luck. They have been supplied by two drivers by a recruitment agency; one on Thursday and one on Friday. Neither of them has experience of driving a counterbalance forklift. Both of them did a driver training course and had gotten their licences. Neither of them are suitable for the job.

"Experienced" forklift driver?

Forklift driving is not rocket science. Unless you're an absolute cretin, it would be hard to f up. I have driven them.

But there are absolute cretins. I was with one, one day, and he did something that nearly got him killed. Doing something that you might expect from someone who'd never driven a forklift. Afterwards I asked him how long had he been driving, and he told me something like 20 years.


The last people I would use would be a recruitment agency. An understatement would be to say they're scam artists

If they've done the Fas Forklift driver course any time recently, then they would have done Counterbalance......But they were probably too thick to remember - Counterbalance is a 14 lettered word. If you were looking for thicks, many people are (you don't want quare fellas with degrees or anything), you might just have left two gems walk out the door.