[ghaff]

In part, it's probably because other industries have a limited ability to toss you in the brig if you decide to give your notice after a year.

There are trucking schools, mechanics school, cooking schools (as in the article). But the trades in general tend to be more of an apprentice system.

Finally, some specialized companies do have extended in-house training. But this sort of thing is definitely less common, in part because people skip around jobs a lot more so there's going to be a lot of free-riding on a company offering expensive training.

[DashRattlesnake]

> Finally, some specialized companies do have extended in-house training. But this sort of thing is definitely less common, in part because people skip around jobs a lot more so there's going to be a lot of free-riding on a company offering expensive training.

Don't blame worker "free-riding" so much. I'd say lack of in-house training has even more to do with the fact that companies are much more eager to lay off workers based on short term financial metrics.

Worker training (and loyalty to workers) is a long term investment that doesn't fit well in a culture driven by short term results.

[cossatot]

I think it's not simply that firms don't think long-term, it's that they can't confidently project 10+ years in the future, so they prefer not to take the risk. Maybe the market will change dramatically by then, making the product obsolete, or maybe improved techniques, automation etc. will have made the position obsolete.

[hectorr]

I wonder if you could do something similar with a student loan/financial aid program. The company doesn't take on the risk of building a university, but can set curriculum and performance standards to maintain the scholarship. If it's structured as a loan, worst case you're on the hook the way anyone is for a student loan.

[stevenwoo]

You don't get automatically sent to the brig for not fulfilling your commitment, IIRC, you have to pay the retail cost of your military academy education, and if you don't do that, then you are in trouble

[nhangen]

There isn't any way to skip out that does not violate the laws of the UCMJ. Getting dishonorably discharged is the result of that process, but it's not like you can just cancel your contract, write a check, and walk out.

[hectorr]

Yep. It's amortized about $50k/year over the five years active requirement. You can also leave any time in the first two years of school without any penalty. And they don't throw you in the brig, you get a tax lien. It sucks, but it's really no worse than a student loan.

[ghaff]

Fair enough although I suspect the military is in a better position to collect than a private company would be, any signed contracts notwithstanding. (Companies can apparently recoup training costs under some conditions but it can be a complicated area.)