Wixom’s article in the RGJ of 7/22/08
Regarding Mr. Wixom’s article in the RGJ of 7/22/08 “States success relies on our human capitol”I’ve been here in Reno for over 15 years now. I’ve heard the same rhetoric and have seen no progress towards a solution to the problem. Those of us in the trades know the problem, those in education might… but will again refuse to face it. The “ugly” little fact is that not every kid is going to grow up to be a brain surgeon or rocket scientist (no matter what mom thinks). And (surprise).. not every kid wants to. Yes…. I agree, soft skills are very important, and we sure push these 24/7. Wonder why so many kids drop out of school? Because they are bored to death listening to some teacher spout information they cannot ever see themselves using.
Lets go back in time. I remember starting to actually do something in 7th grade. In shop class (now there’s a dirty word to the “educational professional”) we learned to make a wooden box. It’s amazing how many “practical” skills are learned constructing a simple cube out of wood. By the end of 8th grade, some of us were advancing into some simple furniture (all with common hand tools).
I guess I was lucky (coming from a school district in the middle of the oil fields) as there was a real need for a technical workforce and the money to pay for it. My high school had the most well respected “shops” in the whole state. Woods, metals, mechanics, electrical…. These were taught alongside the “soft skills” and you know…. I actually understood the reason why I needed these skills. Fast forward to the present: “Vocational/workforce education” is a dirty word. It’s expensive and “not really academics” (and that dirty fingernail bunch…). I joke about kids coming out of high school who can’t read a tape measure (they cant) or who can’t successfully screw in a light bulb (ask ‘em which way to turn it to get it out).
Fact: 50% of America’s technical workforce will be retiring in the next 10 years.
Fact: There aren’t enough qualified personnel to take their place (but we sure do have a surplus of English majors properly saying “Would you like fries with that”)? We are a “throw-away” society (just buy a new one from China), but with labor and shipping costs rising… we may just have to start manufacturing and repairing things again in this country.
Will education more in this direction? No…. even when the money to do so was there, academics and “the dirty fingernail bunch” couldn’t get along. A Technical College system (like in many states) is the answer, but with the current scramble for dollars, it’s not going to happen. Thankfully there are private programs to help train a technical workforce such as ABC and Union apprenticeship programs and private training companies (like Ntt which I work for). Sadly though one really has to start from scratch; the skill level of most young people is nil. I’d really like to see some basic technical skills being taught in the schools (wouldn’t it be nice if your daughter could show you how to change that flat tire). Skilled tradesmen use their hands and their minds. Some people are not “wired” to just sit there and think about it… they’ve got to actually do something.
In conclusion I’d like to quote a Mr. Hunkin who I believe sums it up nicely:
“….its time to start training up a new generation of safe crackers or it will become a lost art. I suspect this decline is linked to the general loss of practical mechanical skills – children today are no longer taught metalwork…
I suspect the main reason for the disappearance of the craftsman criminal is simply that there are fewer and fewer people with the practical skills and confidence to even try to break into a safe. Engineering apprenticeships have been decimated, and even the old metalwork shops in schools have gone, replaced by ‘craft, design and technology’, which seems to mainly involve making things of cardboard.”
http://www.timhunkin.com/94_illegal_engineering.htm
posted by cl @ 9:39 AM
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