(International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and Reinforcing Iron Workers)
Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine named Al Bass, the Apprenticeship Coordinator from Ironworkers Local Union #1 Chicago. During our conversation he said “we should write an article in “The Ironworker” reminding everyone about the fundamentals of Apprenticeship, and why our Local Unions and Employers need Apprenticeship”. I thought to myself, “He’s right”, so here are some of my thoughts on the subject.
The vast and growing construction industry, combined with a rapidly expanding population, is placing an ever-increasing emphasis on the importance of a skilled work force. No local union, group of employers, or industry can hope to move forward and keep pace with this growth unless it possesses – or is able to obtain – skilled manpower. A reservoir of men and women who have highly developed skills is of great importance to any community, especially a community such as union Ironworkers. For many years, the Ironworker’s International has worked with employers and our local unions to bring together their abilities to solve the crucial problem of creating skilled workers. What has been discovered is that there is only one effective solution – training through Apprenticeship.
Skilled Ironworkers are developed, not born. The highly developed skills of the all-around Journeyman Ironworker are not acquired in a few months on the job, nor by merely being someplace where different job operations are being performed. Skills are acquired only through a specific program of training under the supervision of a skilled journeyman and the opportunity to develop these skills through on-the-job experience, combined with a parallel program of study and related instruction. Such a program is known as an apprenticeship.
The idea of training skilled men and women through apprenticeship is not new. It is as old and venerable as civilization itself. The records of Egypt, Greece, Rome and Babylon reveal evidence of plans for passing on the skills of skilled craftsmen to workers of the next generation. The practice of indenturing apprentices was common throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, and early settlers brought the tradition to America where it has continued to be practiced to the present day. Any custom so old and persistent must have some inherent merit and is not to be lightly dismissed.
Apprenticeship has been the means by which the craftsman throughout the ages have passed their skills along to their successors, thereby preserving the arts of one generation for the edification of the next. The competent and experienced journeyman is the repository of the skills of his craft. Without his willingness to transmit that knowledge to others it would be practically impossible to train the next generation of skilled men and women. Fortunately for us, craftsmen and -women throughout the ages have taken seriously their responsibility and have willingly shared their knowledge to the men and women of the next generation. The preservation, promotion, and support of Apprenticeship training is the primary goal of this department and a priority for this International.
