Trainees no longer ready for workplace

[Kukcoo]

I used to love having trainees allocated to us. They were so enthusiastic, hardworking and a breath of fresh air. It was great to see them develop.

The last few have acted like they're doing us a favour if they turn up by lunchtime because they could have called in sick for nothing. Seriously can't be bothered doing the basics and expect everything to be done for them. Little respect for anyone else and the huge support they're being given. Won't meet a deadline, because this would affect their mental health and basically impinges on their human rights.

They all still expect to qualify and will be passed by the provider unless they do something truly dangerous, but they won't have the real experience or skills to join the workplace and get on with a job.

I'm barely even a different generation, but wouldn't have dreamed of acting the way they do when I was learning and felt I had to prove myself. AIBU to expect standards to be the same?

No, it's not all of them but I do think there seems to have been an increase in young people with minimum work ethic. It's been done to death on here though. Maybe they think that even if they graft it still won't get them in a position to buy a house so what's the point....

I knew this would be teaching!

I blame covid. It all went to shit then and never recovered. I started teaching when if you survived your pgce year, you were basically just told to get on with it. If you survived your first 2 years after that, the rest kind of fell into place.

I mean, I wouldn't want to go back to that, but there is surely a middle ground where the adults doing an adult, professional job behave like... adults in a professional job.

Wow. What happened in the end?

It's not just teaching..my friend is manager of a large diy chain store, some of his new starters barely manage the min 4 hour shift and wander off to the car park to smoke and use their phones. Every week he fires about 2 or 3 as they are hopeless, rude to customers or just useless.....some new youngsters do a few hours and then text to say they have left....he has asked me to do part time, its lcoal and i might do it..!!

Everything needs an extension or concession due to extenuating circumstances, which are anything but.

We've had to reduce to 1 written lesson plan a week, because typing up your thought process on the early stages is too onerous, so planning is suffering.

In turn we've had to increase planning time in school, which affects how many other lessons they're seeing, so fewer opportunities to learn and apply.

So

In my industry we have a lot of problems with this recent generation of trainees which we didn’t have with previous cohorts. A lot of “it isn’t fair”, “it’s negatively impacting my mental health” and even tears at times. They seem unable to handle constructive criticism (the criticism I’m referring to is literally of their written work to help them improve/advance) and take everything as a personal attack. They also really seem to struggle with looking things up for themselves if they aren’t spoon fed information.

If teachers come down hard on pupils not turning up at school ready to work, their parents get angry with us.

So is this a particular cohort of around 21-25 years old now? As some posters are saying the 18yo are great, the over-25s are ok?

I'm hearing the phrase 'It's not fair'more and more in school.

What the child really means is 'I didn't get my own way'

That's exactly it. They won't take a suggestion, even though you know from experience they'd benefit from it. Then they're struggling and defeatist.

We've had a lot of self diagnosis of mental illness, when mostly it's a natural response to being underprepared. You should expect to be a sweaty mess if you're winging a lesson and can't answer what the kids are asking you confidently because you didn't bother to read up on it or create your own materials with them in mind.

One of them recently left early without their work done (that they’d had plenty of time and support to do) as they had an “important appointment”. Obviously their manager assumed it was a last minute medical appointment and stepped in to take over the work. As it transpires, the important appointment was for…lip filler. When pulled up on it they said they “felt bullied”. I wish they’d feel sacked to be honest 😂

You start by asking what ghey expect from the placement and ask them what they expect from you,

my first pre-reg (optometrist) expected me to train her and I'd expected her university to train her (as it had mine)

Get expections met from either side

I'm doing a business admin apprenticeship at my workplace (I'm mid forties). I must admit I was shocked at some of the other apprentices I see on the monthly live sessions.

There are a couple that are brilliant and I'd employ them tomorrow. There are a couple that are ok but a wee bit lackluster.

The rest of them are hopeless wet rags. Excuses for everything, sit there silently unless specifically called on, poor comprehension and speaking skills, cameras off all or majority of the time.

Honestly I find it depressing.

Sadly, I've had the same experiences with student nurses. It's a worrying trend in many areas.

Completely agree with you OP. Our trainees are absolutely shocking. One didn’t even turn up today! The amount of concessions and extenuating circumstances and extensions they need is perplexing. This is what happens when children aren’t allowed to fail or have any consequences or accountability for anything. They are utterly shocked when they hit the real world and realise that people don’t have time for nonsense. Should have formed the habits earlier on when the sanctions were low stakes.

Just look at the angry replies in response to people posting on threads that it should be a normal expectation for kids to bring a pen to school each day. The absolute bare minimum most basic task each day and there’s so much pushback on it. Habit forming and experiencing cause and effect make competent adults but there’s no appetite to make this happen. The amount of abuse teachers face when trying to instil even a small amount of either discipline or self-discipline in students is ridiculous.

It’s happening in all industries though. My friend runs a large trade apprenticeship scheme for youngsters wanting to learn handywork, construction, trades etc. and he said he cannot take his eye off them for a second, they can’t do any task independently, call in sick all the time, do the bare minimum and can’t be trusted to do the job well. He said they are completely different to the school leavers 15 years ago.

It's the same in the law. I'm horrified tbh at the calibre of young trainees nowadays. God knows what will happen to this country in the future.

We've had this conversation a lot (law). We do find that trainees are now putting in place boundaries we never would have dreamt of.

That said, remember the generation before ours never had the same levels of gender equality and women (and men) didn't have maternity benefit or flexible working.

Maybe in the same way we fought for better gender equality, the generation after ours will right our wrongs in terms of work life balance? Maybe that's a good thing? It would certainly appear so given the mental health and burn out issues suffered in the modern workplace.

Yes there will always be people who take the piss (eye drops are not a valid reason to come in late) but as a general rule, I think we have a lot to learn from Gen X / Alpha.

It is Gen Z. They are famous for it.
www.newsweek.com/gen-z-says-theyre-laziest-generation-1915450

Schools spoonfeed young people. It's not surprising they are not ready for the real world.

I am so tired of people pulling the mental health card, because it undermines things for people who actually do genuinely struggle with mental health issues. Asked someone to send a standard email asking a customer to confirm their order as part of their job and they couldn't because "mental health" 🙄

Why would you lower the standards of what is expected? If they can’t manage a certain number of lesson plans etc, they are failed.

‘Partly’ - I hope the other parts are the parent and young person themselves.

Oh yes....
My DP runs a small company with a few fellow colleagues. They take on a couple of apprentices every year at degree level. They've noticed a difference in attitude in recent years.

My DP is incredulous at the attitude - the latest 2 came in late with no warning or explanation, extended lunches, go home early Friday afternoon, on mobile phone alot, continual booking of appointments for hair/car/even reflexolgy and Gym PT session.

Lack of ability to be professional when writing emails or how yo act in a meeting with clients etc.
One was asked to leave. The other is being very closing mentored.

Im in the legal profession as well. I think the main problem is a lack of personal responsibility. There’s a lot of “no one told me” and other excuses and they react really badly to the suggestion that they look things up for themselves/take feedback on board and try to improve etc.

I get your point about things changing but I think the problem is that the ones coming in aren’t fit for current workplaces. Maybe things will change in the future and they will build a workplace or work environment to suit their needs, but there’s definitely a culture clash in the interim.

Because we're told to be as flexible as necessary to enable them to feel comfortable. It's dictated by the uni staff who undermine us at every turn, so there is negotiation on every expectation.