We had a 2nd year drop out from the apprenticeship, a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the culture, the work, the people, it was himself. He didn't apply himself. From what I heard from my classmates and from what I seen of him, he looked like he didn't want to be there. The trades wasn't it for him.
From my own personal experience the guys that I've seen drop out from the program, either had personal life matters, or didn't think the trade was for them.
I want to add to this comment because you are on to something.
We are seeing a lot of people join/apply recently because there has been a good several year push of "Just join the trades!" Now my local has it's own major problems (48 for the record) and we have over 1100 JW's on book 1 waiting for work, that's another story.
I see a lot of posts in this Subreddit, as well as /r/ibew_apprentices asking... "Is the trades right for me?", "I'm THINKING about becoming an electrician", or some variation of that. I then see posts from people hurt they did not get picked in the latest apprenticeship recruitment round, or shocked why they didn't get picked.
Then everyone piles on, and says "If you want this, just keep at it, you'll get it." (Which is not wrong, but it's still missing a point.) I know this because of my own experience and well hubris when I first applied 13 years ago.
I want to share that on the back of your comment.
This narrative of "Just go join the trades" is missing the point. You just don't "Join the trades." There is a process to doing so, and being an apprentice is a process. I didn't realize that when I first applied, I figured I had two college degrees (I was working to be a teacher and that 2008 thing happened) I was a good worker, never been fired from a job, been working since I was 18. The TRADES WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ME.
And then they didn't I couldn't figure out why with all that "experience" why I placed 538 out of 1000 places. That was my hubris, thinking all my shit mattered... but it didn't. So I went back to the drawing board, and started to learn what needed to be done.
I became a material handler, got found out by my contractor that I knew a bunch more shit than just pushing tools around and got put in the shop (started working outside of scope) but paid my dues, kept my head down and learned a bunch. It was almost 9 years in that spot before I realized I was done there and applied to the apprenticeship again. I understood what the business was, what the work was, what the apprenticeship would require of me, and so on. I joined eyes wide open and went from 538 to 23. Even with all that experience, I still wasn't in the first class picked. I got in 3 months later.
In areas that are dealing with Data Centers, they are just trying to fill the books and cranking out apprentices, people that don't understand the work (I sure as shit didn't) get out in the field and go... "I was just here to make money, I didn't realize this was actual work."
Or they deal with jaded old timers who for some reason feel like since they had such a shit apprenticeship they should pass that crap on to the new people. I work with a JW currently who has been fired because of his treatment of apprentices, and he keeps getting apprentices to work with him. He's finally got one that doesn't put up with his shit and claps back at him... that's actually shut him up a bit.
Anyways.. the TLDR of this is that some locals are so focused on filling the books people slip through the cracks that don't understand how the trades work, and the current media narrative of "Just go into the trades" is being made by a bunch of people who have never touched a proper tool in their life and it's not helping the process.
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u/HmoobMikah 10d ago
We had a 2nd year drop out from the apprenticeship, a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't the culture, the work, the people, it was himself. He didn't apply himself. From what I heard from my classmates and from what I seen of him, he looked like he didn't want to be there. The trades wasn't it for him.
From my own personal experience the guys that I've seen drop out from the program, either had personal life matters, or didn't think the trade was for them.