I agree with you gents. When I retired fifteen years ago, things were already looking pretty dismal in the trades; 'most' of the applicants to the apprentice programs were people who couldn't make the grade to get into college, or had a criminal background and couldn't get into a job any other way. Some proved out and were excellent workers, but they were the exceptions rather than the rules. I can't imagine that anything has gotten better over the years, I'm sorry to say.