Technical/trade schools?

[Carol35]

The husband and I have been discussing the sons future and its looking pretty bleak at the moment..he consistently fails in school term after term and then miraculously passes at the end of every year by 1% on every subject just so he scrapes through, I imagine the school just pushes him through as he is already quite old for his grade having previously failed a year. We are hesitantly thinking of moving him to a trade school of some sort so that he can at least get something behind him. It's very demotivating to pay his school fees etc every month and there is no progression in his academics. I guess he is just not that way inclined. We have had him assessed ( intelligence was superior for his age and grade and he was on Ritalin but we took him off when he showed no improvement).

Has anyone been to a trade school or have kids currently going to one and do you think it's worth it given the above information? He really isn't that much trouble for a teenager, is a happy boy and socially well liked but we are at a crisis point with regards to trying to educate him. He just can't seem to grasp it and he does go for extra lessons in the necessary subjects. He is going to grade 10 next year( lol, if he passes naturally but we have had 3 failed terms already this year so not even sure if he will) but we think this might be the time to just pull him out of normal school or try for one more year now that he has chosen subjects he thinks he can manage.

This has been an ongoing problem since grade 1. Any advice or tips welcome? Tia.

 

[MickeyD]

I'm a huge supporter of technical/trade schools and would recommend them to anyone (boy or girl) who is more interested in following a trade than a "pure" academic schooling.

Quite a few of my friends who went to technical/trade schools have gone on to become successful businessmen; from plumbing to aircon to panelbeaters to motor mechanics....

As a first step you should have him consult an occupational therapist to assist/point him in the right direction.

 

[spiff]

have u done an aptitude test (not sure if its called that anymore) and find out where his talents lie.

nothing WAS wrong with a trade back in the good ole days - but these days the crap that's been churned out by some colleges is down right pathetic! they know jack **** - other than the piece of paper the hold in their hands. some of them can't even spell FFS!

last month 2 engineering companies closed down for good here in CT so that's about 14 tradesmen sitting without work right now.

get him to do either a plumping or electrical course that way he can start his own business. the equipment required for both is minimal and cost very little.

 

[ponder]

get him to do either a plumping or electrical course that way he can start his own business. the equipment required for both is minimal and cost very little.

Out of those two I would say electrical, do your trade test and whatever is required to do certifications or your own business.
My one mate is a plumber and doing really well for himself.

 

[Carol35]

Thanks guys, it's really ****ty to read how well other people's kids are doing in school and then my poor oke. He did do an aptitude test at school and they recommended he do something like fire-fighting, police, navy, army lololol..

I'm trying to push him to become a plumber, I checked and see that he needs a grade 9, 12 weeks doing a plumber course at college and then 18 months appy work and then he will qualify...just seems so much more beneficial then stressing for another 3 years trying to get him through school when the chances of him passing matric are slim I'm sad to say. Besides the fact I like the idea of having a plumber on hand when needed hehe...

@spiff, that's my next worry, he is in a really good school now and I don't want to stuff things up by removing him and making a mistake by putting him into a crap school not worth it's salt.

 

[ant_man]

Thanks guys, it's really ****ty to read how well other people's kids are doing in school and then my poor oke. He did do an aptitude test at school and they recommended he do something like fire-fighting, police, navy, army lololol..

I'm trying to push him to become a plumber, I checked and see that he needs a grade 9, 12 weeks doing a plumber course at college and then 18 months appy work and then he will qualify...just seems so much more beneficial then stressing for another 3 years trying to get him through school when the chances of him passing matric are slim I'm sad to say. Besides the fact I like the idea of having a plumber on hand when needed hehe...

@spiff, that's my next worry, he is in a really good school now and I don't want to stuff things up by removing him and making a mistake by putting him into a crap school not worth it's salt.

Which Province Do You Live In?

 

[Carol35]

Which Province Do You Live In?

Cape Town. I see that I need him to be in a FET based school and there is one in Gardens, Salt River(absolutely not) and Bellville but not sure of the reputation? College of Cape Town? I see its public, haven't looked at private schools yet.

 

[ant_man]

Parklands College has Just opened up Their Trade School and apparently it is excellent
I am sure it is rather expensive but well worth it.
Have a look see on the website.
Good Luck as we had the same problems with our Kid but thank heavens we found an Excellent School, Tafelberg, that is giving him a good grounding.

 

[FNfal]

What you have said about your son sounds just like i was at school . I was bored at school and could not be bothered with school work so just did enough to pass every year.Until i left school and found what i liked doing.
Find out what he is interested in and let him do what he is interested in then he will do well.
Dont make him do what he does not want to do or like.
Encourage him with some sort of hobby that may one day be his full time job.

 

[spiff]

Thanks guys, it's really ****ty to read how well other people's kids are doing in school and then my poor oke. He did do an aptitude test at school and they recommended he do something like fire-fighting, police, navy, army lololol..

I'm trying to push him to become a plumber, I checked and see that he needs a grade 9, 12 weeks doing a plumber course at college and then 18 months appy work and then he will qualify...just seems so much more beneficial then stressing for another 3 years trying to get him through school when the chances of him passing matric are slim I'm sad to say. Besides the fact I like the idea of having a plumber on hand when needed hehe...

@spiff, that's my next worry, he is in a really good school now and I don't want to stuff things up by removing him and making a mistake by putting him into a crap school not worth it's salt.

right now yr son not going anywhere - I'd rather force him to do a trade now so that he has something to fall back on one day - after that he on his own. If I could change my trade I'd probably go for an electrical trade not because I don't like what I do now - I just prefer to be my own boss, besides it has minimal equipment & easy to do. the equipment I use today costs anything between R500k - R5m so R10k for a set of screws drivers / pliers / multimeter / ladder etc. is nothing in comparison.

I see you are in CT so maybe bring him round to my business so he can see what it's about - pm if u want more details.

 

[guest2013-1]

I went to a technical/trade school, and if he's failing now, then putting him in such a school won't help much because those guys are even more hectic.

I would concentrate on what the problem is with him not passing. A guy I went to school with was a brilliant artist, his mom made him finish matric. My cousin was in Grade 10 with him. My cousin's sister who was 2 years younger was in Grade 10 with him, and I, who was 4 years younger than her, was in Grade 10 with him.

When I graduated matric he went to grade 11 (was awesome). He finally matriculated at the age of 28.

*BRILLIANT* artist, best I've ever seen, but NOT interested in anything school tried teaching him.

 

[spiderz]

Thanks guys, it's really ****ty to read how well other people's kids are doing in school and then my poor oke. He did do an aptitude test at school and they recommended he do something like fire-fighting, police, navy, army lololol..

I'm trying to push him to become a plumber, I checked and see that he needs a grade 9, 12 weeks doing a plumber course at college and then 18 months appy work and then he will qualify...just seems so much more beneficial then stressing for another 3 years trying to get him through school when the chances of him passing matric are slim I'm sad to say. Besides the fact I like the idea of having a plumber on hand when needed hehe...

@spiff, that's my next worry, he is in a really good school now and I don't want to stuff things up by removing him and making a mistake by putting him into a crap school not worth it's salt.

Get him involved in something now already ... find a company that's willing to tech him how to weld properly (arc/gas/mig). Try and get a weekend job for him in the different trades. If you do something you like, you're more likely to be successful in it.

 

[zippy]

The husband and I have been discussing the sons future and its looking pretty bleak at the moment..he consistently fails in school term after term and then miraculously passes at the end of every year by 1% on every subject just so he scrapes through, I imagine the school just pushes him through as he is already quite old for his grade having previously failed a year. We are hesitantly thinking of moving him to a trade school of some sort so that he can at least get something behind him. It's very demotivating to pay his school fees etc every month and there is no progression in his academics. I guess he is just not that way inclined. We have had him assessed ( intelligence was superior for his age and grade and he was on Ritalin but we took him off when he showed no improvement).

Has anyone been to a trade school or have kids currently going to one and do you think it's worth it given the above information? He really isn't that much trouble for a teenager, is a happy boy and socially well liked but we are at a crisis point with regards to trying to educate him. He just can't seem to grasp it and he does go for extra lessons in the necessary subjects. He is going to grade 10 next year( lol, if he passes naturally but we have had 3 failed terms already this year so not even sure if he will) but we think this might be the time to just pull him out of normal school or try for one more year now that he has chosen subjects he thinks he can manage.

This has been an ongoing problem since grade 1. Any advice or tips welcome? Tia.

Sounds like me, although I somehow managed to avoid failing a year

I have always had difficulty learning subjects which don't interest me.

It could be that he is bored.

Don't force him into something he doesn't like.

A trade or technical education can be a very good option. It's looked down upon in academia, but get past that. Lawyers and bankers are academically trained and look at how well they are regarded.

You need to find out what interests him, that can be used as a profession. This is very hard when it comes to teenage boys.

 

[cerebus]

Both of my brothers barely finished school (the youngest dropped out totally) and they've ended up struggling a lot since then. But that's because I think our parents (specifically my father) dropped the ball wrt preparing us adequately for adult life. It might be time to sit down with him and reevaluate what he wants to do with himself. He might not be academic, but he needs to pick something and see it through, that has to be nonoptional, and you must sit with him through it.

There is nothing wrong with a trade or an apprenticeship. Plumbers and electricians will be eternally needed. Just try to force him to choose something. What about welding? Those guys can earn very well.

 

[Other Pineapple Smurf]

Consider http://www.northlink.co.za/

Very good place. My wife did her trade through there and its our preferred place to source new staff. Personally I believe having a trade is essential and I plan to first get my three kids to do a trade before they go study at uni.

 

[Ms_S]

There is nothing wrong with a trade or an apprenticeship. Plumbers and electricians will be eternally needed. Just try to force him to choose something. What about welding? Those guys can earn very well.

My SO dropped out of school grade 11 and went to False Bay College, West Lake Campus. He said it was very difficult, and at the time courses were done over 3 months. But because so many guys were failing, they stretched it over to a year. Even then, the drop out rate was still very high. People think trade school will be easier, but there's still a lot of theory involved, and studying.

He studied welding, and was lucky enough to have he's step father to help him at home. He says going to trade school was the best for him, because he was wasting he's time at school. Local welders are in demand, they don't just work on gates!
There's actually not enough skilled workers, so a lot of guys are brought over from Thailand and India.

 

[Nicodeamus]

I'm currently working towards my wireman's licence (as an addition to the engineering degree that I am currently doing), now the funny thing is that I went to an Academic school and basically I have to rewrite matric and take 'elektrovakteorie' (N3) level. You're going to need 2 years of experience (or any electrician can just sign off for you) then you have to do the 'vaktoets', before you can get your licence.

The other route that you can follow is ST8 with 5 years of experience before you my qualify, however employers still prefer that you have matric next to your name.

The N-tek college in Pretoria helps you with the entire process, I suggest you give them a call talk to a Mr Palmer (he is very informed on which route to take). http://ntek.co.za/

 

[dudewotevr]

The husband and I have been discussing the sons future and its looking pretty bleak at the moment..he consistently fails in school term after term and then miraculously passes at the end of every year by 1% on every subject just so he scrapes through, I imagine the school just pushes him through as he is already quite old for his grade having previously failed a year. We are hesitantly thinking of moving him to a trade school of some sort so that he can at least get something behind him. It's very demotivating to pay his school fees etc every month and there is no progression in his academics. I guess he is just not that way inclined. We have had him assessed ( intelligence was superior for his age and grade and he was on Ritalin but we took him off when he showed no improvement).

Has anyone been to a trade school or have kids currently going to one and do you think it's worth it given the above information? He really isn't that much trouble for a teenager, is a happy boy and socially well liked but we are at a crisis point with regards to trying to educate him. He just can't seem to grasp it and he does go for extra lessons in the necessary subjects. He is going to grade 10 next year( lol, if he passes naturally but we have had 3 failed terms already this year so not even sure if he will) but we think this might be the time to just pull him out of normal school or try for one more year now that he has chosen subjects he thinks he can manage.

This has been an ongoing problem since grade 1. Any advice or tips welcome? Tia.

I'll bet money that your son smokes a lot of weed.

 

[Carol35]

I'll bet money that your son smokes a lot of weed.

Seriously oke, if I could use that as an excuse for his bad academics, life would be a lot easier, sadly, that's not the case. He goes to a boarding school where study time is in abundance and he has on hand help. If he was smoking up a storm at school then I would seriously need to have a chat with the headmaster .

Thanks for the awesome advice guys, this is definitely a route we are going to go with but we have to wait to see if he passes the year at least.

For those who said we shouldn't force him and let him find a hobby he enjoys, that is not an option as his only hobby right now involves girls and bikinis..and any job that involves these two things. I'm afraid we cannot leave him to his own devices else he may still be sitting on my couch unemployed when he is 30 so we have no alternative but to force him to do a trade. So far we have narrowed it down to 3 likely jobs being plumber, electrician and fire fighter.

Haha@ Acid...I will kill him if he is still trying to get a matric at 28. I love him but I'm not that patient hehehe.
@Cbrunsdonza..yes, I found Northlink today and will definitely have look at it, glad to hear its reputable.
@spiff...thanks so much, when we are ready and go this route, would love to let you know for some insight.

I'm so glad to see that there are a few people here on the forum who also battled but seem to be contributing members of society..It seems there is hope after all

 

[spiff]

Seriously oke, if I could use that as an excuse for his bad academics, life would be a lot easier, sadly, that's not the case. He goes to a boarding school where study time is in abundance and he has on hand help. If he was smoking up a storm at school then I would seriously need to have a chat with the headmaster .

Thanks for the awesome advice guys, this is definitely a route we are going to go with but we have to wait to see if he passes the year at least.

For those who said we shouldn't force him and let him find a hobby he enjoys, that is not an option as his only hobby right now involves girls and bikinis..and any job that involves these two things. I'm afraid we cannot leave him to his own devices else he may still be sitting on my couch unemployed when he is 30 so we have no alternative but to force him to do a trade. So far we have narrowed it down to 3 likely jobs being plumber, electrician and fire fighter.

Haha@ Acid...I will kill him if he is still trying to get a matric at 28. I love him but I'm not that patient hehehe.
@Cbrunsdonza..yes, I found Northlink today and will definitely have look at it, glad to hear its reputable.
@spiff...thanks so much, when we are ready and go this route, would love to let you know for some insight.

I'm so glad to see that there are a few people here on the forum who also battled but seem to be contributing members of society..It seems there is hope after all

cool no problem. as far as I'm concerned if he is under 21 then he's got no say! if he can't manage HS then don't waste time! get him into a trade after that and when he turns 21 he's on his own, your conscience is clear u did your best.

my maths & science marks shot up when I started tech mainly cause I saw the practical side of those 2 subjects and as my interest in them increased so did my marks!

never give up - there is always hope.