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.

Dude, this is the apprenticeship of the futu

http://apprentice.profitfromwood.com/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

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.

"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

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

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

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

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