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Apprenticeship for our Future
Man has been working wood since the genesis of time. Working wood is
one of the inherent occupations of man, a living trade; whereby, a man may do well by applying common sense and manual dexterity to the basic materials found at hand. Working with wood, metal and soil are fundamental to living trade; yet, no two men have ever had the same set of tools or the same set of experiences; therefore, no two men will ever have the same knowledge or understanding of living trade; the material remains infinite as each man must find his own way; thus, we are apprentices all of our lives. Apprenticeship for our Future In the fourth century BC, Plato recognized that the majority of any population needed to be working class citizens contributing to the tangible product of their nation; and that the decay of that nation could be gauged by the percentage of people who are essentially contributing nothing. We are a nation in distress. Education has failed in its fundamental responsibility to provide the working class with marketable skills. Serving only the higher motivations, education has become an obtuse bureaucracy that many cannot and will not respond to. With higher education costing tens of thousands of dollars, the working class is excluded, left to the mercy of an ownership society. Apprenticeship is the missing ingredient, and only apprenticeship can fulfill the responsibility and our obligation to future generations. Apprenticeship must overcome the conventional wisdoms of academia, while becoming part of the academic woodwork. A program of apprenticeship must contain the same integrity systems of higher education, but requires much more participation than just listing tools available in a tool chest. Apprenticeship must involve each individual in practical, financially responsible activities. Conventional apprenticeships are negative and narrow, concentrated only upon the needs of a particular trade or industry. True apprenticeship is a lifelong, intellectual pursuit; that endows the 'journeyman' with an immutable purpose, and creates equanimity between the 'artisan' and his material. In discussing apprenticeship, we are talking about the individual and the entire concept of apprenticeship is oriented towards that thought. Apprenticeship is not geared exclusively to preparing the individual for paid employment but to contribute to a more enterprising work force. Apprenticeship encourages the development of skills and attributes that employers are looking for, such as teamwork, commitment and flexibility, but also develops a realistic knowledge and understanding of business and the working life. Apprenticeship sets the standard for quality. The survival and competitiveness of all companies, small and large, depend increasingly upon the quality of their workforces. Employees need to be able to work autonomously, to take responsibility and make decisions; to work in small teams and units, to be flexible and creative, and to update their skills continually. Employees need to be enterprising, and qualities like planning and decision making are ones that count. The labor market is changing. Apprenticeship takes the initiative to help the working class to deal proactively with an unpredictable world. Apprenticeship develops in the individual the necessary enterprise skills and an awareness of how their community, including business and industry in a global economy, works. The individual and the whole working class needs to be 'opportunity ready'. The need for apprenticeship in this scenario is clear. People need to be able to package skills and knowledge into working livelihoods; become contractors rather than employees; see opportunity in job change, override periods of unemployment; recognize the ongoing need for learning and training; be creative rather than passive; capable of self-initiated action rather than dependent; know how to learn rather than expect to be taught; and they need to be enterprising, not think or act like an 'employee' or a 'client'. This I sincerely believe; apprenticeship is the key to our future prosperity, and the only key available to unlock a new age of renaissance. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
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Apprenticeship for our Future
Irwin wrote: Dude, this is the apprenticeship of the futu http://apprentice.profitfromwood.com/ Spam from Boston Advanced Financial...how to prostitute yourself from wood. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
On 14 Jul 2006 20:36:11 -0700, "daclark"
wrote: Man has been working wood since the genesis of time. Working wood is one of the inherent occupations of man, a living trade; whereby, a man may do well by applying common sense and manual dexterity to the basic materials found at hand. Working with wood, metal and soil are fundamental to living trade; yet, no two men have ever had the same set of tools or the same set of experiences; therefore, no two men will ever have the same knowledge or understanding of living trade; the material remains infinite as each man must find his own way; thus, we are apprentices all of our lives. Snip Bravo! I don't have much to add, but I wanted to express a little appreciation for the post. Amazing how many so many people are so easily hoodwinked into believing that a nation of salesmen, advertising executives and shelf-stockers can be a "new economy". I don't give two ****s about the standard line that the world has changed- material wealth resulting from productive endeavors will always be the coin of the realm, and if we don't have that, someone else will (*ahem* China *ahem*). But of course, nothing will change until we get slammed against the wall a time or two- hopefully there's still enough American can-do attitude left to rebuild all the factories and foundries when it turns out we needed them after all. In any case, we'll be hurting for real soon enough- and when that day comes, everyone will wail and moan and wonder why. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
On 15 Jul 2006 09:33:08 -0700, "daclark"
wrote: Irwin wrote: Dude, this is the apprenticeship of the futu http://apprentice.profitfromwood.com/ Spam from Boston Advanced Financial...how to prostitute yourself from wood. I researched some of the links that are local and came up empty. So, the guy featured that has the booming cabinetry business in Nashua, for example, has no entry in Yahoo Yellow Pages and Google did not find anything either. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
daclark wrote: .... Education has failed in its fundamental responsibility to provide the working class with marketable skills. Serving only the higher motivations, education has become an obtuse bureaucracy that many cannot and will not respond to. With higher education costing tens of thousands of dollars, the working class is excluded, left to the mercy of an ownership society. Apprenticeship is the missing ingredient, and only apprenticeship can fulfill the responsibility and our obligation to future generations. I would submit it isn't "education" that has failed as much as it is a failure in those who are not interested in seeing that their progeny are, in fact "educated" in any form whatsoever and the social system that has arisen allowing such to be supported by the state for succeeding generations... .... ... Apprenticeship must involve each individual in practical, financially responsible activities. ... a lifelong, intellectual pursuit; that endows the 'journeyman' with an immutable purpose, and creates equanimity between the 'artisan' and his material. ... This presupposes an "apprentice" who has such a vision or motivation... I submit there are those who do this innately and there will always be those who simply do not have the ability to do so and that is unlikely to change as long as the human specie is still around. A small fraction could perhaps be "salvaged" by widespread application of such a plan, but until one can change human nature in a widespread general manner that hasn't happened since the advent of recorded history, it's unlikely we will see a widespread cultural change. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
dpb wrote:
I submit there are those who do this innately and there will always be those who simply do not have the ability to do so and that is unlikely to change as long as the human specie is still around.**A*small fraction could perhaps be "salvaged" by widespread application of such a plan, but until one can change human nature in a widespread general manner that hasn't happened since the advent of recorded history, it's unlikely we will see a widespread cultural change. There's a really good book called "The Memoirs of a Superfluous Man" by Nock that contains, among other things, his observations on education. He says he always deplored the state of US education till a friend pointed out that most people are not educable, they're only trainable, and that's what the schools were supposed to do. -- It's turtles, all the way down |
Apprenticeship for our Future
dpb wrote:
I would submit it isn't "education" that has failed as much as it is a failure in those who are not interested in seeing that their progeny are, in fact "educated" in any form whatsoever and the social system that has arisen allowing such to be supported by the state for succeeding generations... In the city of Des Moines, of an originating freshman class of 3600 only forty-five percent graduated as seniors in 2006; statewide ten percent of all seniors did not graduate. Iowa is supposed to be one of the better academic environments....they can't all be dumbies. I live in an area, where even the crack whores have dreams of rising out of the system. ... Apprenticeship must involve each individual in practical, financially responsible activities. ... a lifelong, intellectual pursuit; that endows the 'journeyman' with an immutable purpose, and creates equanimity between the 'artisan' and his material. ... This presupposes an "apprentice" who has such a vision or motivation... Point of my essay...but in a four year program, each is allowed to find his own way, or drop out at the point of mental saturation; which ever comes first. A small fraction could perhaps be "salvaged" by widespread application of such a plan, but until one can change human nature in a widespread general manner that hasn't happened since the advent of recorded history, it's unlikely we will see a widespread cultural change. I have employed and trained hundreds of carpenters; knowledge and confidence are easy to instill; a day's work brings immediate gratification. regards... |
Apprenticeship for our Future
Larry Blanchard wrote: There's a really good book called "The Memoirs of a Superfluous Man" by Nock that contains, among other things, his observations on education. He says he always deplored the state of US education till a friend pointed out that most people are not educable, they're only trainable, and that's what the schools were supposed to do. Mandatory attendance and performance beyond a certain point, today, leads to an accusation of attention defict syndrome...hell, they're just bored out of their minds. You'd be surprised how smart people get when it's something that interests them. And, that is what schools where supposed to do. Voc/ed has been alleviated in most high schools in Iowa...in favor of technological substitutes...who wants to be a desk potato when they can build something with their own two hands? Not everybody, just a majority. |
Apprenticeship for our Future
"daclark" wrote in message
Man has been working wood since the genesis of time. snip I don't know if you've hit upon a solution that will work in/be accepted by this culture, but you've certainly defined the problem. Fascinating and well done. Thanks! -- www.e-woodshop.net Last update: 6/21/06 |
Apprenticeship for our Future
On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 21:03:57 -0700, Mike M
wrote: This is very true. I find that as an employer I'm always saying give me a farm boy. Now here in Washington State they want to license all the trades. Employees seem to always say I haven't been trained in that. Maybe I'm old but when I came up it was cool I want to learn that. Licensing all the trades is a great way for the trades to protect their business and assure a limited supply of licensed tradespeople. Just like all protectionism, the benefits only last for a short time. Mike M On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:17:41 -0500, "Swingman" wrote: "daclark" wrote in message Man has been working wood since the genesis of time. snip I don't know if you've hit upon a solution that will work in/be accepted by this culture, but you've certainly defined the problem. Fascinating and well done. Thanks! +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |
Apprenticeship for our Future
Mark & Juanita wrote: Licensing all the trades is a great way for the trades to protect their business and assure a limited supply of licensed tradespeople. Just like all protectionism, the benefits only last for a short time. A powerful point, well taken. Thank you, daclark |
Apprenticeship for our Future
Mark & Juanita wrote:
: On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 21:03:57 -0700, Mike M : wrote: :This is very true. I find that as an employer I'm always saying give :me a farm boy. Now here in Washington State they want to license all :the trades. Employees seem to always say I haven't been trained in :that. Maybe I'm old but when I came up it was cool I want to learn :that. : : Licensing all the trades is a great way for the trades to protect their : business and assure a limited supply of licensed tradespeople. Just like : all protectionism, the benefits only last for a short time. Well, I'm sure glad I use a licensed electrician, as the work I've seen from unlicensed ones is plain dangerous. It's not just protectionism -- it's protection for the consumer. -- Andy Barss |
Apprenticeship for our Future
Hello, this essay was originally posted on a number of sites, and
attracted quite a bit of comment. It became too much to track the comments and remember what had been said where, so I've relocate to a central location I have established a new group for the discussion of the craft trades; woodworking, metalworking, sculpture, glassworks, pottery, etcetera; and the topic of apprenticeship in the inherent occupations of man. If you would like to join this group of professionals, as well as novices, in the discussion of the craft trades...use the link below. The site will be moderated to keep the junk out. No off topic postings, no sales gimmicks, and no trashing the other guy's opinion... daclark http://groups.google.com/group/senior-apprentice |
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