Interesting Old Equipment, Projects & Work Places

**Old Farang** · 26th May 2020, 04:07 PM

Is that perhaps one of the reasons why a lot of private sector employers don't want military trained tradesmen?

I think a lot of it is do with the training being too specific. They turn out a skilled turner, but that's all he can do. Or an electrician that can wire up a motor, but cannot change a bearing. Many examples like that.

**Bigbjorn** · 26th May 2020, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by Old Farang

[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]
I think a lot of it is do with the training being too specific. They turn out a skilled turner, but that's all he can do. Or an electrician that can wire up a motor, but cannot change a bearing. Many examples like that.

Take a railway trained boilie for an example. He would receive first class apprenticeship training. Then if he stayed in the workshops he would be a marker out, or a burner, or a plater, or a driller and stay in that section for years. They were also very militant and hogs for demarcation.

**V8Ian** · 26th May 2020, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Old Farang

Undoubtedly excellent training. But I would just like to know why the young fellow at 1.15 is using an adjustable / crescent
wrench on what appears to be around a fuel injection system? In fact, why was such a butchers tool allowed in the workshop in the first place?

The shifter jumped out at me too.

**V8Ian** · 26th May 2020, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by Old Farang

[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]
I think a lot of it is do with the training being too specific. They turn out a skilled turner, but that's all he can do. Or an electrician that can wire up a motor, but cannot change a bearing. Many examples like that.

The military turn out very competent and knowledgeable tradesmen, but they usually lack the commercial concerns, important in civvy street.

**Blknight.aus** · 26th May 2020, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by V8Ian

The military turn out very competent and knowledgeable tradesmen, but they usually lack the commercial concerns, important in civvy street.

they what now?

**Blknight.aus** · 26th May 2020, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by V8Ian

The military kick out very competent and knowledgeable tradesmen, .

never mind fixed it for you

**scarry** · 26th May 2020, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by V8Ian

The military turn(kick) out very competent and knowledgeable tradesmen, but they usually lack the commercial concerns, important in civvy street.

Same as any Govt department.

And the useless tradies they keep, and hide, doing other jobs.

**4bee** · 26th May 2020, 07:03 PM

Originally Posted by 1950landy

This is not old but is one of the many foot bridges my company made , ready for delivery to a park in Brisbane
Attachment 161128

It looks like a Bailey Bridge with a bendy bit.

**4bee** · 26th May 2020, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Old Farang

[LEFT][COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana]
I think a lot of it is do with the training being too specific. They turn out a skilled turner, but that's all he can do. Or an electrician that can wire up a motor, but cannot change a bearing. Many examples like that.

Yep. Years ago when I was a Service Manager & Hirer of Misfits & Neer do wells, an ex Army bloke applied for a Fridgie's job as a Service Mechanic.

The Army certainly trained him well but he was lost without them.

He seemed a lovely bloke & seemed to know his stuff & I would have liked to employ him, but sadly when it came to Customer Service/Relations he really could not fit in & had a totally different attitude to the public side of being one of "them".

A shame really as he would have been ok in a Workshop situation when not mixing with the public but at that time the W/S was not taking on any extra staff

**JDNSW** · 26th May 2020, 07:37 PM

Many years ago I worked with an interesting bloke, name of Ben. The company I was working for was looking for staff for a geophysical crew to work in the Simpson Desert. He applied for the position of mechanic. Although they had not got hold of a mechanic at that stage, the crew chief, who was interviewing him, almost immediately came to the conclusion that this grey bearded, pipe smoking, gentleman, speaking with an Oxford accent, was not really what they were looking for. So he said (with an air of finality) "I'm sorry, the mechanic's position has just been filled, the only position we have left is a surveyor."

Ben responded "That will do me nicely!" Somewhat flustered, the interviewer said they'd let him know. In the event, they could not find another surveyor, and reluctantly hired him.

Ben, although definitely eccentric (for example, refused the company's plan to supply him with a Landcruiser for use in the Simpson, and bought his own new Series 2a and hired it out to the company) but became the company's most valued surveyor. About ten years later he died of a heart attack while setting up a radio navigation base station for a marine survey in Indonesia.

He was an example of multiple skill training from an army. Both his mechanics and surveying skills were learned through training and experience as an officer in the Indian Army in WW2, and practiced as the manager of a tea plantation up until independence and partition in 1948.

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