A lack of time for training panelbeaters

I READ with interest ‘‘Panelbeating backlog dents and hopes for a quick fix’’ (ODT, 7.7.18).

It’s obvious the policy makers, politicians and bureaucrats of the last 25 years don’t go to the toilet, or think they may need a plumber, and don’t have cars that sometimes are required to be repaired by a panelbeater.

How have we got to this situation? In the case of the once-panel beating trade, it started in the 1990s with the panelbeating employers being weak in allowing the polytechnic’s trade training to be destroyed, plus all the external examinations for the apprentices’ qualifications to be dropped.

The other problem was the introduction by the motor insurance industry of minute assessing of the time allowed for repairing of damage sections or replacing parts of the vehicle.

The minuteassessing system is based on six minutes by 10, which makes up 60 minutes. For example, a panelbeater may have to do a certain task in a time of 1.4 ‘‘minutes’’, which would end up a total real time of 84 minutes.

For replacement of parts, these times are worked out by firms overseas, who have people doing these tasks in the very best of workshop setups, and they use a stopwatch to time the technicians.

The insurance assessors use that information as their benchmark.

Humans are not machines. They have to at times go to the toilet, or wash something out of their eye, have a morning and afternoon tea break and so on.

But to my knowledge, both in New Zealand and overseas, those break periods are just not allowed for, hence there is no time for the training of any apprentices.

Don Sinclair Past panelbeating tutor, Otago Polytechnic, Tahakopa Valley