TSJ (Tile & Stone journal)

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

I don't know this guy, but he seems to know his stuff (Alan Reynolds) his article in this months TSJ (page 12) sums this industry up for me. Something needs to be done to address this situation, lack of skills/good training etc. is hastening the demise of a highly skilled profession ( wall & floor tiling).


The future of this trade hangs in the balance, if nothing is done to help small traders (one man band's) like Alan and many of us, to be able to pass on our skills to the next generation. This trade will go the way of others (dry stone walling/thatching etc).


We need some incentive from the government/ trade associations, to stop the dilution of these hard earned, and rare craftsman qualities. We will always need good tradesmen, why is nothing being done?:mad2:

 

[heavytrevy]

I agree , your gov does nothing to protect your trade.
U need to leave that crap behind and move to Oz

 

[jay]

agree phil there are issues over there reg protecting trade

 

[Rob Z]

Hi Phil do you have a link to the article?

 

[DHTiling]

I have said this for a long time on here..

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Hi Rob, sorry I cant find the link, but here is the article..........

This guys writes for the Stone and Tile journal from a tilers perspective.

Quote "I recieved a letter the morning from a young man in his mid twenties looking for work and it made for grim reading. I used to get 2 or 3 a year before the recession, usually from school leavers blitzing the yellow pages hoping to find an apprentership. Now I seem to get them every other week and not just from youngesters but from all age groups equally desperate to find employment.

What I found sad about this paticular letter, was the underlying sense of despair running though the catalouge of short term, unskilled jobs that constituted his cv. The little experience he did have in tileing was limited to labouring but it was enough to convince him that he wanted to learn the trade.

The letter came with a SAE requesting a response to prove he was actively engaged in seeking work thus qualifying him for continued benefits. This I was happy to do. I also included some details on training courses and a few lines about how to find work in the tiling game. But deep down I new I was just going through the motions and that the chances of him stricking lucky when skilled men are queing up at the job centre was less than remote and that made me feel bed.

When I was in my 20`s I had a trade and the confidence that I would never want for work. Those days are long gone, of course, as are most of the big companies that invested in the future by taking on dozens of apprentices each year. Nowadays everything geared to the short term which begs the question: What's the point in spending vast sums of money on training programs if were not going to back them up with real, work generating, initatives?

No doubt my analysis of the situation is simplistic and the goverment really is doing all it can, giving the economic rollercoaster ride we`re on. But where does that leave this young man and all the other's like him who simply can not find work? Not everyone is cut out to be a entrepreneur. What will happen to them?

Ive taken on trainees in the past. Some where less then usless whilst other where keen to learn and moved on to do their own thing. But one man bands like me only serve to scratch the surface of a problem that threatens disastrous consecuences.

Something needs to be done, and fast, to address the contridiction of skill's shortage and un-employment among the skilled".

 

[Rob Z]

Phil, Is STL an online magazine? Or, print only, available only in the UK?

 

[Dan]

They deliver worldwide Rob.

Tiling Magazine | TSJ | Tile and Stone Journal.

I'll have a good read of the TSJ later. Not read it yet. Need to sort out our really old advert in it and get it updated somewhat.

 

[DHTiling]

Same withTile uk advert.

 

[Dan]

Ahhhh. I forget we even advertise in the mags until I receive one so it's never on my mind. In fact, not seen a tile uk mag for months, have you mate?

 

[Rob Z]

90 GBP to "rest of world"

 

[DHTiling]

Ahhhh. I forget we even advertise in the mags until I receive one so it's never on my mind. In fact, not seen a tile uk mag for months, have you mate?

Get one every month and if they forget i mail jobeth

 

[Tenchman]

I agree with Phil, Dave and others, we have a really bad system here i have worked in lots of countries inc Oz & NZ they are more protective of crafts there than we are, same in some parts of the states & canada and in France the craftsman is king regarded above architects and treated really well i actually got a 35% dizzy on materials because they could check my website out.

Long story short ref treatmen my team carried out restoration work on a grade one listed building in manchester.

the citb sent so called assessors =hatchet men to see us and talk we thought about setting up training one of them now has a very public profile with the TTA and is a right piece of work tried to sabotage me and my main business partner by rubbishing our work ????????:mad2:

Never did anything about got a weak apology from citb as these berks said our work wasn't up to nvq one standard :yikes:
Which without being arrogant is patently a lie, i now have had this matter pop up again i have both anecdotal evidence and professional back up to discredit these people.

the CITB & Historic scotland are interested in setting up training for restoration tiling
i'm hoping to recruit from our membership if it goes live.

the problem is should i let these idiots off or use the info i have to discredit them as they did with me (lost some big money restoration projects = 6 figures)

like some feedback please both on question above and interest in traning.

another small question why is it that we the main end user are mostly ignored by tile manufacturers and tile retailers bar a few ?

It's like we are not important when as in my quote on back of my biz cards from Cyril Carter turn of the century head of Poole tiles dorset says " as it may be said with truth that a tile is not a tile until it is in position"

many retailers and manufacturers have never laid a tile or seen them put up or down properly, tilers are one of the most ignored of trades and yet is one of the oldest = roman mosaics /byzantine era only stone is older and then it goes hand in glove with people like me as a Tyler-Mason.

Sorry to ramble but i do think we are ignored and there are many people who would benefit from good traning in all aspects and we wouldn't see so many horror stories only a few firms put money etc back into the trade. we need more input and co-operation between tiling as end-users and retailers & manufacturers.:incazzato: