Struggling to Find Skilled Welders in Devon
Discussion
Quite simply your not offering enough money. I'm down the road in Plymouth and as a fabricator welder the going rate here is a fair bit higher than what your offering. We often bring in contractors for various trades at double what your offering, sometimes more. We have guys from the Torquay area work here that wouldn't consider a job on their doorstep for £13 ph.
Even our 4th year apprentices are on more than that, maybe even the 3rd year lads nowadays.
Even our 4th year apprentices are on more than that, maybe even the 3rd year lads nowadays.
Edited by jackthelad1984 on Tuesday 17th October 20:30
BGARK said:
Starting pay (low skilled) is around £13+/hour, but we're very much open to increasing that based on skills. £20/hour is not going to happen on day one. We're a proud UK manufacturing company, committed to long-term growth and job security. We're not just offering a job; we're offering a stable, lifelong career.
Here's my question: Why is it so hard to find people with these skills?
Why is £20 an hour not going to happen for a skilled worker? Is that because the other welders would need a pay rise to match? If you're not advertising the rate then you'll get terrible attitudes when you tell skilled workers you're offering a terrible rate.Here's my question: Why is it so hard to find people with these skills?
You're not offering a secure career. You're a relatively small business, and small businesses go to the wall all the time. What's your offering on career progression? Training plan? Certificates? Management opportunities?
You're competing against Hinkley Point C, literally just up the road. They start at £18 and go upto £31 with them paying for the certificates.
Edited by Evanivitch on Tuesday 17th October 20:59
One other point I make to my family firm clients when they are full of the recruitment "it's not just a job, it's a life and a career" is: yes, it might be for you, because you are shareholders. Everyone else is an employee, and behaves like an employee. If you want them to behave like a shareholder, give them shares.
OP: Any way your staff can earn equity in the business?
OP: Any way your staff can earn equity in the business?
The UK welder pool has been reducing significantly for over 20 years from my experience. The main reason is the reduction in requirement plus ridiculously low pay. People are retiring and no new blood. Most fabricators I know have around 10% welder staff and increase as and when using foreign labour. It used to be polish welders but the agents go wise and they're now 'too expensive'. Portuguese welders are the new Poles.
It's cheaper for us to get fabrication done in the old eastern block and ship over here than fabricate here. It was a choice a few years ago, now it's a commercial no brainer.
In short, no welders because its a dying service sector due to price gouging by fabricators and cheap alternatives abroad.
It's cheaper for us to get fabrication done in the old eastern block and ship over here than fabricate here. It was a choice a few years ago, now it's a commercial no brainer.
In short, no welders because its a dying service sector due to price gouging by fabricators and cheap alternatives abroad.
GordonGekko said:
An Engineer uses a calculator not spanners
b
ks.I'm an engineer and I use a five axis CNC lathe.
We can't recruit people either and the problem is demonstrated by Gordon gecko, nobody wants to get their hands dirty, everyone thinks the world is run on computers and phones, nobody thinks about how they get made!
My sons been through similar JLR trained apprentice mechanic, time served and qualified, mot tester.
Many garages want to pay £13-£14 an hour for a job that requires years of training, carries personal liability for the quality of work, where you need to invest thousands in buying your own tools, whilst charging customers £100 - £150p/h.
They all seem confused they can’t find mechanics, son thinking a job doing supermarket deliveries for a similar rate is appealing.
We pay a cleaner £17p/h to help prepare the holiday properties we rent out. She works hard and arrives every week. We are paying 50% over most. So OP, you really need to pay the right wage to attract applicants.
My son is a welder/fabricator and an engineer with a 1st class degree. He can do a lot of specialist welding with "normal" and special materials, he is coded on many materials and can use all types of welder. He is currently welding stainless steel to medical hygiene standards (flush welds with no grinding), and is getting coded for work on nuclear. He has worked with various types of bronze, copper, copper alloys and he was one of the lead welders and fabricators on this: (silicone bronze)
and this
He is not especially happy with his current employer but he would be looking for over £20 per hour.
Op, if you want skilled people you have to pay for it and give them opportunities to develop their career etc.
What sort of welding is it? basic tack together a bit of mild steel or high quality fine finish stuff?
If you have a bit more detail I could pass the info onto junior.
and this
He is not especially happy with his current employer but he would be looking for over £20 per hour.
Op, if you want skilled people you have to pay for it and give them opportunities to develop their career etc.
What sort of welding is it? basic tack together a bit of mild steel or high quality fine finish stuff?
If you have a bit more detail I could pass the info onto junior.
Edited by blueg33 on Wednesday 18th October 13:55
I live / work in North Devon (well between here and Chester).
You can almost earn £13 per hour staking shelves, you aren’t paying anywhere near enough. I’d expect £20 p/h min, up to £35.
The company I work for pays more than you are offering for non skilled roles, you can earn upwards of £32k non-skilled on certain shift patterns.
You are offering less than £25k p/a on a 35 hour work week, I wouldn’t work for that, would you?
You can almost earn £13 per hour staking shelves, you aren’t paying anywhere near enough. I’d expect £20 p/h min, up to £35.
The company I work for pays more than you are offering for non skilled roles, you can earn upwards of £32k non-skilled on certain shift patterns.
You are offering less than £25k p/a on a 35 hour work week, I wouldn’t work for that, would you?
Easternlight said:
GordonGekko said:
An Engineer uses a calculator not spanners
bks.I'm an engineer and I use a five axis CNC lathe.
We can't recruit people either and the problem is demonstrated by Gordon gecko, nobody wants to get their hands dirty, everyone thinks the world is run on computers and phones, nobody thinks about how they get made!
The Engineering Council website is very helpful in clarifying.
It’s going off topic, but out of interest which institute are your awards with?
Original point has been made enough times since.
BGARK said:
Making stuff is getting harder, no youngsters want to learn the skills, no drama but I do take on board the comments.
Youngsters do want to learn skills, but they are learning different skills. The manufacturing sector is full of horrible, dirty and unsafe workshops.
There is nothing attractive about spending years learning skills that will often lead to a career working in dumps for £13 per hour.
Edited by Driver101 on Wednesday 18th October 16:13
Its been like this for years, and employers now wonder why no one has trained for the manual jobs over the last 20 odd years. Its easy to answer when the pay is not enough to live on. If when leaving school you want a manual job and have the aptitude for it, you will look at stuff like welding or car repairs and think i could do that, but the wages are pants. You could then look at plumbing and think in a few years with a bit of experience and some gas safe type certs, i could be self employed on £50 + an hour. What are you going to choose.
And if you are an experienced welder, why are you going to accept £13 an hour when Lidl will pay almost as much. And if as an employer you can't afford to pay more then sorry but your business is not viable in this country. How much a robot and someone to program set it for small production runs costs, will be a whole new experience for you.
And if you are an experienced welder, why are you going to accept £13 an hour when Lidl will pay almost as much. And if as an employer you can't afford to pay more then sorry but your business is not viable in this country. How much a robot and someone to program set it for small production runs costs, will be a whole new experience for you.
I appreciate the dialogue surrounding the starting wage at our company. Compensation is a complex issue, and I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify our stance and philosophy.
Firstly, our starting wage is just that—a starting point. We designed it to be a platform for those who are willing to learn, show a positive attitude, and grow with us. Our approach to compensation is flexible, rewarding those who add exceptional value to our operations.
It's also worth noting that we are not solely a welding company. We operate CNC machining centres and engage in various other engineering processes. We are in the business of continually adapting and re-inventing ourselves, designing new products and finding innovative solutions to complex challenges.
In fact, our export business is growing. This is a positive story. We are on a journey to create a company that not only thrives in today's market but sets the standard for future manufacturing environments. The future may look different—it might involve fewer people earning higher wages and working alongside cobots or automated welding stations, for example—but it's a future we're excited about.
As for expertise, we welcome anyone who believes they can bring something extraordinary to the table. If you think you understand the bigger picture and can contribute to our collective goals, then please, send me a business proposal and name your wage requirements. Perhaps you deserve that extra compensation; who knows?
For some personal context, I started this business in a shed with my dad 20 years ago. I come from a council house in a stty part of the UK. We moved across the country, and 12 people took that leap of faith with us. They didn't do this solely for the wages. There's more to life. We have a strong, happy community here, and our team enjoys a clean, safe work environment. And we've also built a great zombie apocalypse team!
Firstly, our starting wage is just that—a starting point. We designed it to be a platform for those who are willing to learn, show a positive attitude, and grow with us. Our approach to compensation is flexible, rewarding those who add exceptional value to our operations.
It's also worth noting that we are not solely a welding company. We operate CNC machining centres and engage in various other engineering processes. We are in the business of continually adapting and re-inventing ourselves, designing new products and finding innovative solutions to complex challenges.
In fact, our export business is growing. This is a positive story. We are on a journey to create a company that not only thrives in today's market but sets the standard for future manufacturing environments. The future may look different—it might involve fewer people earning higher wages and working alongside cobots or automated welding stations, for example—but it's a future we're excited about.
As for expertise, we welcome anyone who believes they can bring something extraordinary to the table. If you think you understand the bigger picture and can contribute to our collective goals, then please, send me a business proposal and name your wage requirements. Perhaps you deserve that extra compensation; who knows?
For some personal context, I started this business in a shed with my dad 20 years ago. I come from a council house in a s
tty part of the UK. We moved across the country, and 12 people took that leap of faith with us. They didn't do this solely for the wages. There's more to life. We have a strong, happy community here, and our team enjoys a clean, safe work environment. And we've also built a great zombie apocalypse team!This isn’t an attack, but this post is one of the main issues with the current job market, companies want highly skilled workers and to pay them minimum wage. Welding at a very high level isn’t given enough credit, it’s a genuine skill that will have taken years to master.
Have you considered looking at the problem in a different way? This could be a brilliant opportunity to upskill some apprentices, college leavers or re-trainees in your company ethos? Instead of just looking for the instant perfect worker, what you need might require some investment, training and time.
Have you considered looking at the problem in a different way? This could be a brilliant opportunity to upskill some apprentices, college leavers or re-trainees in your company ethos? Instead of just looking for the instant perfect worker, what you need might require some investment, training and time.
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