Yup, and that's a problem.  You can't find people who are exposed to some form of metalworking/mechanics/woodshop/etc.  I hired a guy from where Tazzer is from.  Worked with him through school, showed him the ropes and he plans to stick around full time when he graduates in May. His dad was a mechanic for Ziegler for a long time and then switched jobs... So he grew up around equipment.  I have a little different business being a engineering/design shop but the labor pool we draw from the same group, technically literate people who are willing to work. If you want a guy, you have to train or be willing to pony up some bucks for experience.  The guy also helps me farm and can run equipment so that was a huge plus when I interviewed him.

You always run the risk of the young guys leaving chasing a girl across the country. So far I have been lucky and guys want to stick around.  Actually, the one guy ended up marrying my sister so that worked out for everyone haha.  My only reservation grabbing guys going into/coming out of tech school is that you spend all that time and effort training and then they decide to move away.  Training people is expensive!