MIKE PORCELLI
What’s Christmas without tool-skills?
At Christmas two years ago, I wrote about the many skilled workers who make the holiday season possible and the ways their skills are essential, not only during holidays – but every day. For example, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, the most popular attraction of Christmas in this city since it was first erected almost a hundred years ago. It takes thousands of skilled workers to produce that iconic symbol. Think about what this and every holiday would look like without the skills those workers bring.
Imagine Dicken’s classic Christmas Carol with a focus on skilled trade workers. In this version, the Tradesman-of-Christmas-Past is the Jack-of-All-Trades, who can build and repair every piece of technology. He can grow the tree, cut it down, transport it, install it, decorate it, light it, and then remove it when the season ends. He learned his skills from generations of craftsmen who came before and passed their skills onto their children. Each successor improved their skills, as they used them to make life more enjoyable for their contemporaries, particularly during the holidays.
Now, think about two versions of the Tradesman-of-Christmas-Present. The first one learned his skills from a parent, or one of the excellent public school vocational programs of the last century, or both, as I was privileged to do. Next, there’s the Non-Tradesman-of-Christmas-Present, educated by a school that removed shop classes from the curriculum. This person grew up without tool-skills and is virtually helpless in dealing with anything requiring their use. So sad! These unskilled individuals are the butt of Christmas morning horror stories about the most dreaded words found as children unwrap their gifts and find on the boxes – ASSEMBLY-REQUIRED. Deprived of shop classes growing up, they struggle to allow their children to enjoy their gifts. Some must even pay others to provide those required assembly services. How embarrassing!
Lastly, imagine what life would be like in the future if we continue to lose skilled workers at growing rates. This bleak scenario is represented by the Non-Tradesman-of-Christmas-Future, who’s not only incapable of assembling toys, but symbolizes a future without enough skilled workers to provide all the services modern society is dependent on. Life, as we know it – will cease to exist. Scary!
Children believe their presents are built by Santa’s Elves in his North Pole workshop. Elves with tool-skills. At some point, they begin to comprehend those elves are really the skilled tradesmen working in factories, and the products they produce with their trade skills, are not delivered on Santa’s sled propelled by reindeer, that are led by one with a red nose. They come to understand that those packages are really delivered by other skilled workers in the supply chain, particularly those ever-present blue Amazon trucks.
Let’s prevent the unskilled version of Christmas future, and other holidays, by… expanding CTE in all schools!
That’s the best present of all… for all!
