OnPoint: If Wishes Were Horses...
125 Responses
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DexterX, in reply to
Death - Estate Duty was zero rated for almost two decades before it was abolished. Do you wnat me to tell you why or are you familiar with it.
If a CGT is introduced I don't think any govt would remove it.
IMHO CGT is evil.
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DexterX, in reply to
School leavers who don’t have an adequate grasp of the English Language or basic arithmetic are dragging down productivity. An example being I employed a school leaver who did not know what parallel or perpendicular were; he just didn’t have clue as to what a right angle was and he couldn’t use a ruler.
People like this geezer, of which there are a few, are locked out of opportunity due to a lack of the basic fundamentals of language and artithmentic - it gets worse for them when they remain at the same level of non function and are hitting 30 years of age and beyond.
I guess you could say the fabric of our society needs to be "rewoven".
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Islander, in reply to
I would so support any movement - or even a politician - who would & could urge this into being-
given what has (or rather, has not )happened with the cycleway, this could longlasting POSITIVE effects throughout the motu-
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DexterX, in reply to
So what is he actually doing?.
He had done his 37 1/2 that week, so he was gliding off - he had gone home early.
It is not like he gets overtime for being there and he donates his pay to charity in any event.
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Islander, in reply to
Dexter, rather than an anecdote, would you try & refute the figures about our current (sans Tolley stuff) accomplishments?
MOST people gain sufficient skills to be both literate & numerate by the time they leave our school system: there are numerous reasons why a small proportion dont
(e.g. undiagnosed eyesight/hearing problems & unrecognised dyslexia.) What a lot of people want later on (but still early in their lives) is access to guided study which isnt, speaking frankly, tertiary. -
BenWilson, in reply to
An example being I employed a school leaver who did not know what parallel or perpendicular were; he just didn’t have clue as to what a right angle was and he couldn’t use a ruler.
If you could explain how this dragged down your productivity you'd be answering my question. What were you employing him to do? Also, it would interesting to hear why you hired him in the first place.
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DexterX, in reply to
Dexter, rather than an anecdote, would you try & refute the figures about our current (sans Tolley stuff) accomplishments?
No - I am making the comment as I see it - that life is grim for those that miss out and I consider there needs to be greater provision and remediation of these people - even before they leave school.
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Islander, in reply to
And suggestions for how this could happen - aside from those that have already been given?
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DexterX, in reply to
He was employed as a labourer/trainee - when you set things up be it weather boards - roof sheets those elements need to run parallel and at right angles to the underlaying structure and each other - add to this not being able to read a ruler the right way.
His "lack" made work difficult and it took much longer to get things done and eroded margins and increased costs through re working of the job and wastage in materials an increased costs.
I got on to him when his mother approached me looking for work on his behalf. I paid him $15.00 an hour, which was well above the minimum adult wage at the time - this was 2005 - 2006.
It was a rate that I considere was fiar at the time.
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Islander, in reply to
Had any problem with spelling Dexter?
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BenWilson, in reply to
He was employed as a labourer/trainee - when you set things up be it weather boards - roof sheets those elements need to run parallel and at right angles to the underlaying structure and each other - add to this not being able to read a ruler the right way.
OK, thanks for the answer. Next question. How long did it take to explain these two ideas to him? We are talking about a quarter of a math class at the age of about 10, right?
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DexterX, in reply to
Had any problem with spelling Dexter?
Problems with touch typing actually if you are making reference to what should have been::
"It was a rate that I considered was fair at the time".
In reply to your earlier question to me and some of the thrust of your recent posts:
Youth unemployment is high and the problems faced by unemployed youth are immense so I am willing to listen to people who are looking to provide answers and I will when I am in a better postion, more viable, I will look to employ people looking for answers.
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DexterX, in reply to
It took longer than that and that wasn't the only gap he had that we had to deal with.
What is your point?
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@DexterX:
Possibly the point is, how much responsibility should an employer have for training their workers, rather than assuming that all relevant training should be provided by a state-funded education system?(A serious question, BTW.
Presumably some balance point is necessary between the extremes.)[… Though, at the same time,
I would be worried if any school actually concluded, of any student,
“We have successfully instilled the knowledge necessary for a trainee roofing contractor. Mission accomplished”.] -
BenWilson, in reply to
What is your point?
I'm trying to work out how much financial harm you suffered, and how much it justifies in terms of changes to the education system, and how much of it you could have worked out with 5 minutes questioning of the guy before hiring him. This is not to attack you personally, just to get a handle on why this considered a huge concern.
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DexterX, in reply to
just to get a handle on why this considered a huge concern.
Why this is considered huge.
Youth unemployment is high and the problems faced by unemployed youth are immense -the present situation doesn't bode well for NZ.
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Sacha, in reply to
With respect, the greatest problem with youth unemployment is not their literacy.
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DexterX, in reply to
Didn't say it was.
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DexterX, in reply to
Though, at the same time, - I would be worried if any school actually concluded, of any student, “We have successfully instilled the knowledge necessary for a trainee roofing contractor. Mission accomplished”
I feel this is a bit naff - to reassure schools don't make conclusions on or choices for people.
The lack of opportunity to be able to learn, for whatever reason, limits choice.
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Sacha, in reply to
Let me restate that - it's not their education that's the main reason for youth unemployment.
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DexterX, in reply to
Agreed - the state of the economy and a toxic mix of other factors.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
Let me restate that – it’s not their education that’s the main reason for youth unemployment.
And it's not just youth unemployment that's the issue, as my 3 under-employed post-grad friends illustrate. A lot of experienced researchers, such as public health scientist Dr Boyd Swinburn and a Waikato Uni fuel cell science team, were forced to go overseas after losing their financial lifelines - and Swinburn wasn't even Salingered either.
Speaking of Dr Swinburn, his 'ninny state' theory sadly holds water - which he used to describe the food & beverage industry's propaganda war against 'health nazism'. In a wider context, it's just one front in a culture war where material excess is some kind of virtue instead of vice. Express the slightest doubt about the McMansion and Hummer way of life, and you're tagged as 'un-Kiwi', 'PC', 'communist', or other such epithets.
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I’m trying to work out how much financial harm you suffered, and how much it justifies in terms of changes to the education system, and how much of it you could have worked out with 5 minutes questioning of the guy before hiring him. This is not to attack you personally, just to get a handle on why this considered a huge concern.
Surely the problem is that someone has made it through the education system without being able to use a ruler. That person is not prepared appropriately for an adult life in or out of the workforce. And when it comes down to them trying to get work, they're at a massive disadvantage compared to people who have the appropriate basic skills.
That's a failing of the educational and other systems earlier in their life.
Sure the employer should be expected to do some work-specific training with new employees, but they shouldn't have to take their employee back to primary school.
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And everyone should emerge from our educational system with a basic set of skills and knowledge which helps them get about in the world independently able to earn a living and function properly.
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