What were these industries? What has happened to them?

Most big companies in the engineering sector (the little ones with less than 20 employees have been forced out by legislation) now don't even handle their own recruitment these days, instead appointing outside agencies who liaise with corporate HR depts. Contacting the manager who will be your boss, which I always try to do as a matter of courtesy, has become futile.

One incident sums it up (and is sadly not an isolated one): I was head of a network analysis dept for 3 years at a water utility 12 yrs ago. I always hit/exceeded targets etc. During those 3 years, I trained up an engineering graduate to take over the post so I could move on, and moved to a job at an outside consultancy. Last year I applied for a job at that utility co. which 'skill matched' my CV - It turned out to be as an assistant to the bloke I had trained up, so he could finally move up the ladder! ..... Even with his help I couldn't get past the HR gestapo who kept insisting "The post requires a degree qualification" ..... No it doesn't !!! He was eventually given the choice of a Polish engineering graduate who spoke little English so couldn't write reports (essential to the job), a history grad, and someone with a maths degree, none of whom have any experience in the water/wastewater industry.

And people wonder why there's hosepipe bans & flooding in the same areas .... Global warming, my ar5e.

How old are you, just so I know what your level of knowledge of British industry is/has been these past 40 years ?

The industries I speak of are still around by the way.

Are zero hours contracts a new thing? Just wondering why the focus on them all of a sudden.

Question has already been asked, read the thread and find out.

Dunno about his real age but Bet Victor have opened a book on how long before this persona goes the same way of previous incarnations

I have an excellent knowledge, which is why I asked you to which industries you were referring. I didn't ask whether they still existed or not. I asked what had happened to them.

What previous incarnations are these?

Let's hear it, instead of juvenile whispering campaigns between you.

Then you should already have the knowledge of which you ask, I know I do because I was involved in one of the trades, so how old are you and what is your experience of industry these past 40 years ?

Or do you not like questions ?

His/her posts are mostly composed of questions and very few, if any, statements or attempts at answers.
My assumption is that this is how (s)he hopes to undermine another person's posts without presenting facts that might be disproved.

As with a child who constantly asks "why?", "what for?", "why?", you can't debate with such a fog.

rlInteresting piece including DWP advice on Universal Credit to employers, suggesting it is, in part at least, designed to quite deliberately casualise the workforce.rl

On a slight tangent, I've mentioned before that a friend of mine is unemployed, she's recently been forced to go on on an unpaid 2 week work trial stacking shelves at a budget supermarket. If she didnt she was threatened with having her benefits stopped.

The only cost to the supermarket for having 480 hours of work (8 of them at 30 hours per week for 2 weeks) is bus fares. So a maximum of £280.