Shop Class as Soulcraft

In his book Shop Class as Soulcraft, Matthew Crawford, a philosopher turned motorcycle mechanic, argued that that our society’s focus on “knowledge work” has degraded the manual trades. 

His theme is that society has neglected the understanding that manual work requires considerable mental engagement and problem-solving, and offers a level of mental satisfaction often missing in abstract white-collar jobs. 

As Crawford's book title suggests, and which those of us who have worked physical labour jobs have some inkling about, there is something satisfying and enriching at a deep personal level when perfecting a craft and putting it to use. 

Years ago, we dismantled the vocational schools that many of us grew up with. We instead created a focus on university degrees as the preferred educational and occupational pathway. 

The result of this abandonment of skilled trades -  or "craft" - has extended beyond the obvious limitation of educational avenues. 

Manual work has come to be viewed as secondary, lesser, disreputable and suggestive of lesser intellect. This stigmatization of skilled trades has negatively impacted Canada's productivity, robbed our youth of well-paid and satisfying careers and hollowed out our communities. 

In my recent blog post, the German model was covered, and its emphasis on Dual Education applauded. This vocational system has resulted in high school students graduating with a diploma in one hand and a trades certificate in the other. German students commence their trades career at least half a decade earlier than their Canadian peers. They are later able to gain secondary tickets or ladder-up in construction management. Students of this system are able to fluidly transit to the academy to earn a university degree. The emphasis on trades training and skills credentialing has boosted German productivity and on a cultural level, de-stigmatized the trades. 

Why Did We Shutter Vocational Schools?

In the 1980s, a number of notable developments led to the decline of vocational schools in Canada. 

First, a shift in educational theory began to take root, in which teachers and guidance counselors shifted emphasis to university preparation. 

Second, the undeniable costs of running shop classes played a role, as funding levels were insufficient to sustain the teachers, space and purchase and maintenance of specialized equipment. 

Another factor was lack of availability of shop class teachers, who often earn less in that role than in the marketplace. 

Sadly, shop classes, for the most part, disappeared from the Canadian secondary school landscape, and we are now realizing the negative impacts of this abandonment. 

Rebooting Shop Class 

Canada faces serious challenges with retirements in the skilled trades, and the rate of incoming apprentices are not enough to fill the gap. It is common knowledge that we need to remove barriers to entering the trades, but looming large is the fact that Dual Education is a critical solution waiting in the wings. 

Given the challenges of rebuilding from scratch that which was torn down, what are our options as a society and country?

1. Change attitudes about trades: Teachers and guidance counselors need to adopt a more even-handed approach to setting students up for their next steps in their educational journey. Skilled trades cannot continue to be held as "option B." On a societal level, we need to better recognize the contributions of skilled tradespeople. We need to respect skilled trades as a profession just as valuable to society as accountants and engineers. 

2. Fix the funding problem: Governments need to prioritize funding for charter schools and become serious about bringing back vocational education and training to the secondary school ecosystem.

3. Invest in equipment to invest in people: Shop class equipment is costly, but it is worth the investment. Governments need to work closely with industry - including suppliers - to lower the cost of equipment purchase and maintenance 

4. Innovate with teacher certification: Shop class teachers are tradespeople with a desire to teach. To do so, they must undertake an education process of two years or more to become certified. We need reform how shop class teachers are certified, lowering the time needed to become qualified.