Safe Speed Forums

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Related to this, recently I have been trying to recruit a junior engineer.

What I had in mind was a new graduate wanting a first job in industry so I advertised the vacancy on University jobfinder websites within a 50 mile radius.

The 30 responses I got were all from overseas students. I suppose all the British graduates were in media studies or sociology.

As a nation of manufacturers (like in the past), we are doomed.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

The aluminium factory uses off peak power from the Wylfa reactor. Wylfa is closing (it's old), so the factory won't get it's cheap power. They are using the opportunity to fire a few pot shots off. There are new reactors planned. We need more. Nuclear is good.

Could the your recruitment problem be related to the fact that you are offering a lousy salary; a salary substantially less than can be found in media studies or sociology? Engineers' salaries are so low compared with other professions that only an idiot would become an engineer.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Have you thought about going for school leavers and doing it apprentiship style instead? A friend's lad was looking to do one at Bentley but it fell through. He's off to the local college instead but someone like him might be just up your street I think.

In common with almost all jobs advertised on University job sites, no salary was mentioned. The University guidelines are about £20k to start for a graduate. We generally pay more for the right people.

BTW, I am one of those idiots who went into engineering ...

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

So am I. But I am not sure, if I had my time again, that I would do the same.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Yes.
But the planning takes time, and even if they streamline the planning regime the people living in the areas could still ask for judicial reviews of same.
Not only that, but the industry no longer exists in the country, and other countries are building such power generating capacity.
Even with building proceeding rapidly there is still going to be a lack of capacity.
Then there is the issue of the generating companies being "required" to buy "green" electricity for high prices.
It may be better to move to china:

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Many businesses that have sprung up complain when they can't get degree qualified engineers, but then they
only offer subsistence wages. Let's hope the payers get the good guys, and the scrooges get the chumps.
If it's money you're after, it's easy - start your own tin-pot engineering place, and screw your workers over.
It's a lot easier than solving engineering problems involving calculus, matrix algebra, objected oriented design,
orbit analysis, etc.!!!

Green jobs... as a manufacturer of wind turbines rather controversially gets closed down on the Isle of Wight...

brossen99,

You have a Personal Message. Please check your message inbox.

Not quite. That manufacturer isn't closing, they’re actually moving to the country that uses the product (USA).

I don't know what the environmentalists are complaining about. This decision will reduce the CO2 footprint of the product (no energy expended transporting it overseas). The resulting cost saving could lead to the product being cheaper and more competitive, hence accelerating uptake of these alternative sources of power - that's a double win for the environmentalists, so they should be rejoicing.
Its a bummer for the workers though (although other jobless will gain), especially as the protestors have lost their compensation package.

Yet more UK productivity lost, but less CO2 footprint for us too

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

I regularly use the quote your corporate sponsor objects to and you censored ( although I suspect it was the context of the text ). perhaps safe speed is just a Trojan horse for the establishment, let a few people sound off without actually winning the argument. No progress on removing fixed speed cameras although personally I think they are a good environmentally sound alternative to traffic calming at accident black spots, drivers unfamiliar with the road can use them as the equivalent of " distant signals" on a railway to warn of potential danger in the road ahead. Perhaps it would be too much trouble but to make any real real progress you obviously need a new sponsor who believes in free speech.

http://brossen99.livejournal.com/#asset-brossen99-2370

I seem to have lost track of what is going on in this thread. Can someone enlighten me?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

My point was that it's hardly a good start on building a world-class lead in green economics, when we're clearly not the place to build wind turbines.

Brossen has a habit of using specific unsuitable words within his posts. In principle, Safe Speed admin aren't against this, but we know there has been a knock on effect from these posts, hence he has been asked to refrain with an appropriate explanation. Since then the problem has become far more frequent.

The context of his posts have been fine; in fact he has already been invited to resubmit his post with the specific adjustment while retaining the context; this invitation hasn't even been acknowledged.

Safe Speed admin value free speech, but when needless controversy is needlessly pushed such that it has consequences, even the most tolerant have to act.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Not even third world now.
The article below explains how we have no home-grown "green" energy producers.....neglecting that we have virtually no home-grown industry at all.
We cannot build nuclear stations. Apart from the fact that we have no domestic producers anymore, we also have such moribund planning regulation that it would take several decades before the planning enquiries and the abundant appeals made construction possible. All domestic equipment we buy is made elsewhere, most of the vehicles we buy are made elsewhere.
An "elsewhere" nation. Ruled by "elsewhere" people whose hearts, minds and money are "elsewhere".

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article6736018.ece

It looks like moves are under-way to kill-off the housing market as well:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article6736027.ece

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

I'm almost reaching retirement now and engineers like me have been undervalued for over 30 yrs now. Apprentices have been few, and apart from a handful of industries: of low quality. It's not the young lads fault, they are the victims, doomed to work for low pay for doing a skilled job for all their lives. Make no mistake, whatever the industry, it cannot survive without us, and we are now very, very few on the ground.

Contrast us with Germany, where I would not be known as Mr.A Nuther............. but: Engineer A. Nuther.............

IMO We will never BOOM again until we stop believing in the Banks making profits from none existent money and start trusting our engineers again to manufacture goods that others want to buy.