New Generation Problems: How do you train and manage younger employees in the trades?

I’ve noticed the same thing. There’s just not many people from the new generation that have intuition or can think ahead and figure out what they need to do next. 
I have found that some tough love and just pushing them a bit helps make them more independent on the job. But it definitely takes time to teach them and get it to stick. 

I've actually had some pretty good luck finding some "old souls". I look for a few specific things on their resume or when I first talk to them:
- Started working really early in life. If their pops was in the trades, it's a huge plus

• I create a lot of barriers to get to the interview. They need to send pictures with a resume and answer questions that require more than one sentence. What is it about this trade that you enjoy? Tell me about a bad day and how you handled it?
• There's a skills form we ask guys to fill out that shows all the different things we do and asks them to rate themselves. This probably takes 15 minutes. 

The short attention span people fall off or stop responding. 

I really like the filtering process HUGEHomePros mentioned. Creating those initial barriers is a great way to weed out the short attention spans before they ever step foot on your job site.

In my experience working with younger guys in the trades, it’s a mixed bag—some are really impressive and others are completely useless. A lot of it comes down to how they were raised, but there are definitely good kids out there.

My approach to managing them is a bit different: I make sure to take the time to 'bust their balls' a little. I use humor to get my points across and keep things light. The goal is to poke fun at the mistakes without actually bringing them down or making them feel small. It builds a bit of a thicker skin and helps the lessons stick better than a dry lecture or a deer-in-the-headlights explanation. It’s all about building that rapport so they actually want to learn from you.

No one-size-fits-all joke works on everyone — you have to learn your people first. The best ones come from the trade itself.

In electrical, when an apprentice pulls wire and loops it around a pipe instead of running it clean, we call that an apprentice loop. If the kid's name is Tristan, it becomes the Tristan Loop. It's a mistake everyone makes at least once, it's basically unavoidable, and that's what makes it funny.

I keep it light when the mistake doesn't cost anyone anything. But when it's a real learning moment I drop the jokes — everyone's done that before, don't worry about it. I build their skills step by step rather than unloading a bunch of tasks they have no idea how to accomplish. I let them make their own mistakes and learn from it. I ask them what they think they should do and why. Makes them think.

My other move — I'll randomly walk up to an apprentice out of nowhere and say 'Just checking in. The boss wants me to make sure you're having a hard time.' Gets a laugh every time.

The jokes only land when they come from a place of been there, done that — not from above. They can tell the difference.

I've had the same issues since I first started back in 2019 out of all these years I've only had 2 really exceptional employees the rest have been just costing me money cause I have to go back and re do their work that I paid them to do I'm at the point to where I'm doing everything myself and hiring just for helping me carry stuff and pack up tools and pick up material and clean job sites or hold stuff while I'm doing all the hard stuff if I just had a team of 5 of clones of myself I can be ahead of the game but unfortunately it's impossible so all you gotta do is find someone who really just needs a job and is willing to do what you tell them and follows instructions and doesn't mess up or cost you money someone who has experience but most of all a problem solver not only willing to learn but also if u cant trust them to go somewhere in your vehicle or go handle something while you go handle something else then they are no good for your company and also to find someone who never complains about anything is a plus or someone who stays working on stuff that they know needs to get done without u telling them is a plus I don't care if someone had to watch you tube videos to figure something out as long as they figure it out and do it right can't complain about them period I really like the days when everyone on same page and doesn't mess anything up cause when I have to go back and re do something that someone did that we got paid for already really slows us down so my best advice is test them out first make sure they pass your hands on tests and how they handle themselves as well as getting shit done after a week or two you will know if they are any good don't let your judgment get clouded and keep someone working who isn't getting on the right track fire them and wait for someone else to come along because there's plenty of good skilled workers out there but very few who actually understand the way it all works and can learn to adapt anywhere and someone that knows how to treat customers and not make you look bad