Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

ivyleaf

lostinrates wrote: »

I took a leave of absence, I didn't die. You have my email.

Anyway, here now, post. .

I need to talk to you Doozers anyway:D, my shower drain, and the +^{{>~^+>+*^ sil one around my bath. DB was going to email me with a day some weeks ago.....the non hotmail account is best if you still have it, but is fine to hot mail if you don't. Thursdays generally aren't great.

lostinrates! Hooray So happy to "see" you, you've been greatly missed ((HUGS))

GDB2222

Glarysmith wrote: »

Feeling Great in this Forum!

Hi Glary, what is the square root of nine?

kabayiri

vivatifosi wrote: »

Re adult learning... I think a lot of this is going online. We're being trained in terms of the offering in libraries and we're taking on some of the IT basics. We also have an online driving theory test. We also have courses that can be taken with a library card, such as languages. Then there are MOOCs. However that doesn't help with practical hands on courses or ones that result in a qualification. The government loves putting stuff online as the unit cost drops spectacularly.

I'm not convinced that successive governments have understood adult education, though that's more of a question for jelly or zag.

Charles Handy wrote about how the nature of work would change for an adult in the modern world.

He suggested that when young someone would derive ~100% of income from one job role, but as they progressed into later years only ~50% would come from one role, with other piecemeal work assignments making up the difference.

The arguments were rational, but he didn't address the issue of filling the training and skills gap. He did acknowledge reskilling was key.

To support DD I recently spent a lot of time brushing up on my Chemistry and Physics using online resources like Youtube.

The quality of the lectures were really very good. I didn't feel like I missed out by not being in a classroom.

I often attend webinars run from the US. These are also very good.

I think the tools are out there to deliver better training at a better price.

GDB2222

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've always thought it'd have been good if the UK had been more like the US - where you could get a degree by going to night-school.

That, in my opinion, would've been a better option for people of all locations/situations/ages.

The same for trade-based skills. It seems that you have to have a job/be in an apprenticeship, to learn all skills.... which is a bit chicken and egg. Why should somebody who wants to be a hairdresser not be able to learn it entirely at evening classes, so they could present themselves as a bit knowledgeable to employers. Ditto woodwork. It'd be so handy if evening classes ran that brought people up to "handyman" level of being able to hang things on walls, fit/shave doors, make bookcases etc.... rather than having to have a job and get a full qualification suitable for somebody building whole structures on new build estates.

There seems to be no middle ground any more. You have to either study to be an expert or nothing.

Cost is an issue. If you have £1k/month sloshing around after bills are paid you can consider an evening class. If you've under £100 left after bills are paid you're not going to risk £200-300 for an evening class when you might have a disaster that needs paying for in 3-4 months' time.

B and Q seem to be stopping their workshops, but it may be worth giving them a call in case it's not too late.

http://www.diy.com/services/you-can-do-it/book-workshops#a8

There's one that is local to you. In any case, they may know of local alternatives.

hjd

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've always thought it'd have been good if the UK had been more like the US - where you could get a degree by going to night-school.

That, in my opinion, would've been a better option for people of all locations/situations/ages.

The same for trade-based skills. It seems that you have to have a job/be in an apprenticeship, to learn all skills.... which is a bit chicken and egg. Why should somebody who wants to be a hairdresser not be able to learn it entirely at evening classes, so they could present themselves as a bit knowledgeable to employers. Ditto woodwork. It'd be so handy if evening classes ran that brought people up to "handyman" level of being able to hang things on walls, fit/shave doors, make bookcases etc.... rather than having to have a job and get a full qualification suitable for somebody building whole structures on new build estates.

There seems to be no middle ground any more. You have to either study to be an expert or nothing.

Cost is an issue. If you have £1k/month sloshing around after bills are paid you can consider an evening class. If you've under £100 left after bills are paid you're not going to risk £200-300 for an evening class when you might have a disaster that needs paying for in 3-4 months' time.

I would disagree on the likes of hairdressing. You need the practical experience of being in a salon with real people's hair on real people's heads. No substitute for starting as a Saturday girl, sweeping floors and making tea etc.
We have some training centres in the industrial estate where I work. Motor/construction/catering/hairdressing. The trouble is the students finish a course and come out having been told they are now trained. In fact they need much more to be trained. The motor students work in a garage across the road as part of their training. That garage has gone from being good to being one people actively avoid because the lads who work there are assumed to be more knowledgeable than they really are, and are not supervised enough. Cars have been unnecessarily wrecked.
The hairdressing students struggle to get jobs because they think they should be able to waltz into good jobs, when in fact they need to start at the bottom.
[Rant mode off]

ivyleaf

Glarysmith wrote: »

Feeling Great in this Forum!

You are a robot and I claim my £5.



lj So sorry about the job, but I hope you will find something you like better.

Sue ((HUGS)) Glad you're getting the book for Josh, though of course you shouldn't have had to, GGRRR!

lostinrates

Spirit wrote: »

Hello LIR, welcome back. Nosy Aunt mode on :
How is your current health status?
Is Fir enjoying his new job?
Are you both enjoying having more time together?
Is your budget working out OK ( you posted it was cutting it fine)
Kiwi, Dog Dog, pink and mauve all doing well?
Nosy Aunt mode off.

I did try and reply but Mse swallowed the post.

Fir likes the job. If they had a permanent position he would probably take it, but the way they work they just won't need him. He has had a couple of other offers that are less tempting to him because of less interesting breadth of work.

Yes, time good, but we weirdly are getting less done.

Animals fine. Kiwi is developing some unpleasant habits. Throws himself at doors if not take running.

Doozergirl

Spirit wrote: »

I have read all posts today but having trouble Thanking posts and only some show... anyone else got a problem?

Yes! For about a week. Press the button, it says 'glad you like it' or whatever and then doesn't highlight it. Press it again and it does the same thing.

The other annoying thing before that is that the thanks button is in position where I scroll. So as I scroll down to find the end of a thread, I was randomly uniking things I'd liked.

I give up. I'm reading, trying to thank, it can do what it wants.

Wheezy_2

Doozergirl wrote: »

Yes! For about a week. Press the button, it says 'glad you like it' or whatever and then doesn't highlight it. Press it again and it does the same thing.

The other annoying thing before that is that the thanks button is in position where I scroll. So as I scroll down to find the end of a thread, I was randomly uniking things I'd liked.

I give up. I'm reading, trying to thank, it can do what it wants.

No problems thanking, but I'm still on old style.

St Albans sinkhole opens up on residential street.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-34410423

That's a big hole. :eek:

michaels

Not surprisingly a hot topic of conversation here this morning.

DD2 has a friend who used to live on that street so I know it fairly well - only problem is I can't picture where on the street the hole is from the photo.