‪Why Study Industrial Arts? - 1956 Educational Documentary‬

I work in a school district, and have seen the demise of these programs. The only course left is wood shop, but the projects are very basic, a magazine rack, a clock,(some electrical work), a strobe light, (some electronics), and the occasional gun rack. We had welding, casting, machine shop, automotive and small engine repair, along with drafting, and graphic arts. They're all gone, except for the vocational school. Our music program is all but scrapped too, and the drama club is faltering.

Sad to say that the skills taught in schools past that helped build our nation and our hobbies interests are vanishing. You can't build an engine or a layout with a joystick nd video screen. 

Don

This is a kind of sad commentary on where this country is headed. It seems like all we do anymore is push papers or push buttons. Where do skilled trades people come from anymore? Every kid is being told they need to go to college.

All of this has a trickle down effect to our hobby, and hobbies in general.

Edit: I guess I forgot to answer the question.

I loved shop classes. I was exposed to wood shop all the way back in 4th grade, which was probably way earlier than most. I was already playing with trains and building layouts, but that experience really paid off years later, when I finally got my own tools.

Yes, and enjoyed them. Nearly all my experiences in industrial arts courses has served in my professional career.

Drafting: A major component of my career, I continue to draft by hand. I'm old school, pencil and paper, all part of the muse. I doubt they teach this extensively anymore. Pretty much all CAD now, hence, many can't draft by hand.

Wood shop: Another major component of my career, skills that I will continue to use until I can't. With all the DYI hoopla, one would think there would be high demand for such classes. Unknown secret; both Elliot (Big Boy 4005) and I shared the same grade school shop teacher. Thanks, Fran Johnson.

Photography: Grade school teacher was great, pretty much learned all the basics from him. High school teacher, complete know-not jerk. I think he was ****ed because I shot with a Blad. Did press work at a young age, but my interests was in landscapes. Loved the darkroom and still have my stuff. Also dabbled in cinematography with an interest in stop-frame animation. Many 1/12th models for this.

Graphic Arts: Learned layout and key-lining. Even though it's now somewhat dead, I still apply many of these techniques.  

Letterpress and offset printing: As a result of these classes, I ran a small in-house shop. Loved it. On the other hand, there's a reason letterpress is all but dead. Oh, the ultimate tedium of it. Beautiful stuff, but I don't wish to taste 'printer's pie' ever again.

Metal shop and welding: Classes that were unavailable at the time, skills I dearly wish I had. I've managed to pickup a few tricks overtime, but certainly wish I knew more.

Art: Another great teacher in my life, Elliot had her too. Lifelong skills.

Music: I have no musical talent. Despite all of dear Mrs. Ward's effort, it just wasn't going to happen. I did learn music appreciation which has served well in my career.

Theatre: Well, what can I say, I grew up in the business. I had no desire to seek anything-theatre during my formative years. Not surprisingly, the entertainment industry became my vocation.

I look back at these experiences with great fondness and can't imagine a life without the skills learned from them. These classes greatly enhanced the opportunities for me to make a living, and I thank the teachers that played no small part in that role.

I went to a Catholic school, and we didn't have any of these courses. However, my dad and two of my uncles worked at the family dairy doing maintenance, and all were skilled in the use of all kinds of tools. We as kids would learn by first watching, then getting hands on experience with many of the tools my dad had. He would guide us when needed, but as we got older we gained more experience, and graduated to the power tools. My brother Mike who is a year younger and I would construct a new layout each year, working throughout the year in preparation for the Christmas season. We would dismantle the layout in the basement, and re construct it in the room dedicated to the Christmas Tree. We built tunnels and mountains, wired the track and lighting for the houses that we assembled, and tested all the trains. We were very self confident, and always received praise for our yearly efforts.

My brothers and I went to the vocational school serving our area, and learned even more.Our skills have served us all well. My youngest brother and I went into the masonry field, and Mike who went to carpentry ended up becoming an electronic engineer. We all have had homes that we were able to do ninety nine percent of the work whenever something needed to be done. While in the Air Force, I learned to weld, which came in handy when I applied for what at the time I thought was going to be my dream job working on locomotives. The plant in Mountain Top Pa closed about a year after I started.

All of these skills are still being taught, but it comes at a premium. Other then high school vocational programs, these courses are now offered at colleges, or tuition funded trade and technical schools. The folly of these school districts never ceases to amaze me. I'm fortunate to have grown up in an era when emphasis was place on ALL aspects of education. A degree is of no use if there is no one to build the project!

This is a great topic, and one with relevance to not only the 1:1 world, but our miniature one as well.

Don

I loved Wood shop, metal shop, photography, drafting, small engines, electronics. All tought me valuble skills applicable to everyday life

My career was a IT Senior System Analyst.....a techy.

But in my public school days I took all 'shop' classes.....wood working, metal shop, drafting and auto mechanics.  And to this day I am thankful these classes were offered back in the day. Not sure they should be mandatory today but do wish they offered them in more schools. Many young folks, twenty somethings, don't know the difference between flat blade and phillips screw drivers!!!!

I went to a Catholic high school from 1963 through 1967, junior and senior year I took mechanical drawing. The public high school had an industrial arts building were you could take drafting or shop class such as wood working, metal working, automotive shop ,etc. I participate in career day presentations to students interested in engineering at this Catholic high school, the drafting classes were eliminated years ago. The drafting classes that I took were essential in my decision and interest to become a mechanical engineer. After a forty year career in engineering I am retired, many young people today have no interest in professional trades and pursue college educations. Since the late 1970's, our manufacturing and production sectors have changed because of mergers, closings, foreign competition and job outsourcing overseas. These changes have affected many disciplines; shop work forces, engineering, shop management, marketing, sales, supply vendors,etc.

Prior to my retirement,the owners of some tool and die shops and machine shops told me that it was extremely difficult to find qualified people to hire at premium hourly rates, they interviewed some young people who had not interest in serving a 4 year apprentice program with yearly wage increases and one place hired retired machinists.

I went to a small rural high school in Western Pennsylvania.  We had wood shop, metal shop, and drafting.  This was from '68 to '72.  I liked wood shop and drafting.  I have never liked working with metal.  Drafting was my favorite.  I have used CAD a bit, but prefer pencil and paper.  In wood shop we did some pretty simple projects.  I learned more that helps with layout building from my dad repairing our old house.  I do think kids should learn many more industrial arts skills than we learned.  I hold the skills of craftsmen in high regard.

Tom got to take a somewhat watered-down shop class in the mid 1960s. I didn't, of course--back then girls could only get into shop class if they had a teacher argue for them. I did, however, have Dad, who was a coal mine mechanic, loved to weld and had a pretty decent home shop where we were allowed to use anything we could handle safely. I'm living in the result--the two of us built this place in 1983 and now Gabe has learned to take care of most of it.

We need more early, casual exposure to tools so there's no huge mystery about simple repairs. No matter how "throwaway" society gets, we'll always need to know how to adjust a sticky door hinge, wire simple items or tighten loose screws. Schools aren't teaching the other life skills, either. Our home ec course was mandatory for girls, but the dishes we learned to cook were complicated, heavy on processed food and not very good. I'm s hocked at how many young people can't cook without a microwave and, even then, can't cook from scratch.

--Becky 

I was a Industrial Arts teacher here in Pa. for 28 years.  I am now retired.  Our district still has it but it is way different then when I taught it.  I taught, wood, metal,drafting, construction, welding.  The person that replaced me now does robotics, problem solving, model bridge construction, not much hanging and banging like I used to do with the kids.  When I taught it I would get lots of the not so desirable kids that the other teachers had problems with.  We came to an understanding that in order to work on the neat things in shop class they had to start acting and learning better in those other classes, this seemed to work.  These guys and gals worked very hard on they're projects, and it showed by winning awards at our local fairs.  I can say that I have given these students skills and memories that will last them a lifetime.  I enjoyed working with my students and had lots of memories from all of them that will make me smile, and also gave me a few gray hairs. We still need this curriculum in our schools because we need to expose our children to entering the trades. Not all kids are ready for college there are and will be lots more that are needed for the trades in years to come. 

Becky and Laz57 enhanced my response to this posting, I addressed basically the influence of industrial arts in the workforce, industrial arts not only prepares one for the work career but also for personal lives. The industrial arts helped many people to develop the confidence and skills to perform a multitude of homeowner tasks; auto repairs, basic electrical skills,carpentry,plumbing, etc., the skills allow on to assess what the problem or repair is and how to do it correctly. I have always felt that a sense of personal accomplishment in doing these repairs plus one saves money in doing the repair yourself.    

Thanks for being what sounds like a great teacher........

With college degree and MBA as common as sand today.....TRADES are what's going to be in demand.  Look at a auto or truck shop. Almost all the folks working are nearing retirement age!  We can't send a 18 wheeler to China to fix it.....we will need folks here to fix these things. Hands on dirty honest hard work.....that's what will pay in years to come. People much more knowledgeable than I have written about this often.

The Industrial Education Teachers of Michigan,

are doing a lot to help their students, you can check out their

Annual Student Awards, Scholarships and Mini Grants at their web site

www.mites.cc

I feel strongly that Industrial Education can help all students. Over my career I had several student become Medical Doctors, Judges and even one Veterinarian and hundreds found position is Graphic Arts & Printing. Several even started their own printing companies. As model railroader, I bring this to your attention because in our hobby of model railroading, we can all put these shop skills to work on our layouts.

Thank-you for taking a look at this thread.

Cheers from Michigan

Checked www.mites.cc website, Michigan is active in promoting industrial arts, living in Michigan City,IN., I have numerous conversations with the Indiana House of Representative for our district regarding post high school education for Indiana students both regarding trade schools and collegiate education in technical areas. Many high school students in my opinion may have very limited exposure to careers in the trade versus a collegiate education especially in technical areas. I believe that the decline in our manufacturing sector has definitely influenced these young men and women in pursuing careers as machinists and tool and die makers. What is interesting is many of these young people are unaware of the integration of engineering and shop crafts such as machinists or tool and die makers, Engineers do not make an end product, they design, test and evaluate parts  or components for performance and endurance, once a design is finalized drawings are generated and sent to the shop for manufacture. Some parts and assemblies are welded with final machining after heat treatment but many individual parts and  fabrications require expensive machining or parts may be formed in die sets in high tonnage hydraulic or mechanical presses. In the service industry there are many opportunities for electricians, plumbers, hvac, welders, job shop machinists and tool and die makers, fabrication shop employees, automotive technicians, etc., all of these crafts are specialized and provide rewarding careers as trades people.