I will try to put it in this way:
People do not believe in climb the ladder story, except if the ladder is not their own.
My advice is to select smart and optimistic kids, with big smile on their faces and good emotional intelligence and award them with salary they can't obtain from competition. When they make mistake you will have possibility to punish them by giving them lower salary then usual. With small salary they are already punished.
People need to understand the simple thing that everybody wants to work for better conditions. If you don't have enough money to pay them, give them better conditions, for example flexible working hours when they need, more free days, etc.
And yes, finally, after 23 years in this job I can tell you that maintenance now gets good bucks even from beginning. Good maintenance earns more than University professor.
