Craftsmanship

Christianity Today featured an article The Work of their Hands. A subject matter that needs our attention. The authors Jeff Haanen and Chris Horst revealed that in 1917 Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act which provided funding for manual training. However, it had an unintended effect of sequestering the trades from the liberal arts.

This unfortunately created a lasting division between vocational and liberal arts education as it belittled vocational training while glorifying the collegiate education. In the 1930s and early '40s, manual arts were a big part of my high school education. In time, many craftsman types of skills were diminished if not discouraged and today many are sent offshore. My aging land phones were recently replaced with phones made in China.

However, in spite of this phenomenon, there are cries for skilled workers for tasks that cannot be outsourced such as as building construction, repair and replacement of bridges, housing needs, welders and machinists. I remember in my early academic career when I served in part as an academic adviser for incoming freshmen. I quickly learned to advise my students to treat their academic diplomas more as a passport than a road map into a profession. Now we witness high school grads, many heading for colleges and universities, most seemed to know precisely what curriculum they wanted.

Meanwhile, craftsmen are desperately needed but are not trained in many institutions of their choice of higher learning. True, statistics show that some, but not all, liberal arts grads are paid more, enjoy working indoors and not outdoors or in uncomplimentary but essential tasks. I once penned a book called Uncommon Prayers of Young Adults which included a non college grad doing menial labor as a watchdog on essential valves which affected the safety of its many employees. It was reprinted in England as Prayers Under Pressure, an appropriate and excellent choice.That was quite some time ago.

It is no wonder that there is a stirring among educators to attempt to bridge the difficult gap between liberal arts education and vocational training as well as an attempt to urge schools of higher education to consider both approaches. Should this occur, salary variances could lessen, stigmas might falter, and some academic misfits might find their niche. Besides, we might be able to enjoy more essentials made at home and less unemployment. Or is this just wishful thinking?