What makes a skilled-trades worker skilled?

A cool spring day in a Hamilton, Ont., courthouse was the setting that brought together skilled tradespeople, labourers, and factory owners who all were there to discuss the ongoing unrest in the local manufacturing scene.

The topic, as told by the Hamilton Herald, was the payment for work being performed in the city’s shops and, in particular, how this pay was related to the definition of skilled work.

The newspaper reported that during the proceedings a local toolmaker asked, “When you speak of skill, do you mean ability? What you term skill or ability might in reality be only dexterity.”

He said that these so-called unskilled workers were making more money simply by performing their work faster than he was.

“I have seen these piece-workers move with the automatic precision and perform a certain operation with unerring facility. Yet you term these men skilled. They are not skilled ... they have become automatons. Their work requires no brain power, whereas the toolmaker requires both brain and brawn. He must have constructive ability,” he told the assembled crowd.

The year was 1916.

Needless to say, it caused quite a stir between the craftsmen and their co-workers, with the key point of contention, pay scale notwithstanding, being ownership’s (mis)use of the word skilled.

A century later and the question still lingers: What makes a skilled-trades worker skilled? What is more valuable to a manufacturing company: a diploma from a technical school or a decade’s worth of experience?

In a perfect world, it’s probably both. But you may have noticed, especially recently, that this little spinning ball of rock and water is far from perfect.

Shops are imperfect too. Each has strengths and weaknesses, but areas of weakness can be addressed through the addition of, you guessed it … skills.

Whether your staff acquires knowledge in a school or on the shop floor, new manufacturing know-how is absolutely necessary to the success of your business. Changes are coming to the manufacturing industry, and it will become increasingly important to implement new technologies, including additive manufacturing, cloud-based applications, virtual reality, and the internet of things (IoT).

Even if your shop is small and your resources limited, learning the basics of these new manufacturing concepts isn’t a Sisyphean task. Start by learning the lingo, and go from there.