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Etobicoke News Living Has “tech” really become a four-letter word?
| Has “tech” really become a four-letter word? |
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| Written by Mike |
| Tuesday, 23 June 2009 01:14 |
 Some of you may have read Louise Brown’s article in the Toronto Star Monday 22 June 2009. This was written in response to Timothy Eaton Business and Technical Institute closing its doors this same week. It seems that the majority of kids today just aren’t going into the “blue collar” trades as they did years ago. I just have to ask - why? It seems as if only yesterday I took my first steps into Richelieu Valley Regional High School in St. Hilaire, Que. It was a new school that opened in 1969 and boasted some of the most complete workshops where kids could learn skills that would benefit them for a lifetime. There were courses such as woodworking, carpentry, automotive and electrical to name a few. I remember turning my first salad bowl on a lathe. Friends of mine were learning bricklaying in one course called “Building Construction” where they were taught everything from the forming to the framing to the finishing of a building. Others who were in automotive were learning how to weld, rebuild engines and transmissions to bodywork. I still remember the old Ford that the class rebuilt from the ground up! The sad thing was that the following year I had to transfer to another school, an “academic” one to finish my schooling. It broke my heart! But the short time I spent at RVRHS had shaped my path in life forever. I had been exposed to something few kids see today. Choice. Perhaps a good way to understand what might be happening is what one vocational teacher said who, when interviewed was serving as a vocational education consultant for a large school board in Ontario. At one point in the interview, he was asked how parents in general felt about the vocational programs in the school system where he worked. “... attitudes of parents. Now that is a battle. I guess we have been facing [that] since I started in education. I can remember my own parents saying that they wanted me to go to a certain school in Toronto, a collegiate. I didn't want that, I wanted to go to a technical school, which I did. And I am glad I did too. It is an ongoing battle. ... We work very hard at promoting the good positive aspects of the skilled area....” This administrator clearly saw his own parents as being problematic with regard to vocational education. Similarly, he continues to see many parents that way today – leaving him and others to ‘work very hard’ at convincing them that vocational education is worthwhile for their children. There was a time when vocational schools such as Central Technical School were cornerstones in the community. The opening of Central Technical School in 1915 reflected a growing conviction that the rapid industrial expansion of Canada demanded a major change in the secondary school educational system, which up to that time was predominantly academic in character. Attitudes had changed back then. Will they change again? I certainly hope so. As a tradesman myself I have always loved what I do and am proud of it. There is nothing finer and more satisfying than finishing a job and taking a step back to admire the “handy-work.” Nothing stays the same. Everything around us is constantly in flux. The trades are no different. The advances in technology today have spilled over into the trades. Just ask any Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic or Automotive Mechanic for that matter. Many of these ones need to be “computer literate” to get the job done. Their fields are constantly pushing them to further educate themselves. Doctors have been working on the same two models for thousands of years. Ask your car mechanic how many different car “models” he works on. As long as the attitudes of many continue to show bias towards the trades then we’ll continue to see the trade pools drying up. So a brain surgeon's sink plugs and he calls a plumber. The plumber spends 15 minutes unclogging it and hands the surgeon a bill for $100. "Outrageous!" the surgeon complains. "That's $400 and hour. I'm a world famous brain surgeon and I can only charge $200 and hour!" The plumber slowly wipes his hands and responds "same with me when I was a surgeon." As a last thought. I am a tradesman in a dying field, industrial boilers. As long as the general attitude towards the trades continue I can say but one thing…Cha-ching!
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Comments (1)
  written by Dentist, July 06, 2011
Great article. I know it's a bit old but it's still relevant today. There are really too few people going into the trades and far too many going into the tech sector. It would be interesting to find out what kind of policies could help swing the pendulum the other way.
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 July 2009 04:02 ) |
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