I have recently finished a book that was recommended to me by Dan Mott, entitled Shop Class as Soulcraft  by Matthew Crawford.

In the book, Crawford decries the trend among educators to remove shop classes and replace them with computer labs.  As he writes:

"The current educational regime is based on a certain view about what kind of knowledge is important: “knowing that,” as opposed to “knowing how.”  This corresponds roughly to universal knowledge versus the kind that comes from individual experience.  If you know that something is the case, then this proposition can be stated from anywhere.  In fact, such knowledge aspires to a view from nowhere.  That is, it aspires to a view that gets at the true nature of things because it isn’t conditioned by the circumstances of the viewer… Occupations based on universal, propositional knowledge are more prestigious, but they are also the kinds that face competition from the whole world as book learning becomes more widely disseminated…  Practical know-how, on the other hand, is always tied to the experience of a particular person.  It can’t be downloaded, it can only be lived."

Crawford makes a compelling case that the process of apprenticeship, where one experiences learning at the foot of a trained journeyperson, is significantly different (and in his opinion better) than other forms of learning.  Understanding the how allows a person to fully understand problems, and to fix them as they arise.

Clearly not a fan of assembly line work or the Tayloresque approach to breaking down elements of a job into separate job functions, Crawford posits the view that by learning the intricacies of a trade, one is better placed to deal with problems.

It is an interesting read, and well worth slogging through it.  It will make you think and provides some useful points in the discussion on training.