Tradesperson Explained

A tradesperson or tradesman/woman is a skilled worker that specialises in a particular trade. Tradespeople (tradesmen/women) usually gain their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program or formal education.

As opposed to a craftsperson or an artisan, a tradesperson (tradesman/woman) is not necessarily restricted to manual work.

History

In Victorian England:

The terms "skilled worker," "craftsman," "artisan," and "tradesman" were used in senses that overlap. All describe people with specialized training in the skills needed for a particular kind of work. Some of them produced goods that they sold from their own premises (e.g. bootmakers, saddlers, hatmakers, jewelers, glassblowers); others (e.g. typesetters, bookbinders, wheelwrights) were employed to do one part of the production in a business that required a variety of skilled workers. Still others were factory hands who had become experts in some complex part of the process and could command high wages and steady employment. Skilled workers in the building trades (e.g. carpenters, masons, plumbers, painters, plasterers, glaziers) were also referred to by one or another of these terms.[1]

One study of Caversham, New Zealand, at the turn of the century notes that a skilled trade was considered a trade that required an apprenticeship to entry.[2] Skilled tradesmen worked either in traditional handicraft workshops or newer factories that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.[2] Traditional handicraft roles included, for example: "sail-maker, candle-maker, cooper, japanner, lapidary and taxidermist, canister-maker, furrier, cap-maker, dobbin-maker, french-polisher, baker, miller, brewer, confectioner, watch-maker, tinsmith, glazier, maltster, wood-turner, saddler, shipwright, scale-maker, engraver and cutler."[2]

Modern use and list of skilled trades

Tradesmen/women are contrasted with laborers, agricultural workers, and professionals (those in the learned professions).[3] Skilled tradesmen are distinguished:

Trades list

See also: List of construction trades and Technician.

Earnings and social standing

A British study found that, after taking student loan repayments into account, a higher apprenticeship (at level 5 in the national qualifications frameworks) delivered higher lifetime median earnings than a degree from a university outside the Russell Group. Despite this, polling for the report found that apprenticeships have a lower perceived value than bachelor's degrees.[9]

Data from the United States shows that vocational education can provide a respectable income at a lesser cost in time and money for training. Even ten years after graduation, there are many people with a certificate or associate degree who earn more money than those with a B.A.[10] [11] [12] [13]

The average taxable income for the top trades in Australia can be up to $100,000, while the average for all Australians is $85,800.[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Sally Mitchell, Daily Life in Victorian England (Greenwood: 1996), p. 60.
  2. [Erik Olssen]
  3. Whitney, William D., ed.. "Trade." Def, 7. The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language vol. 8. New York. The Century Co. 1895. 6,415.
  4. Wanda J. Campbell & Robert A. Ramos, "Blue-collar Selection in Private Sector Organizations" in Handbook of Employee Selection (eds. James L. Farr, Nancy T. Tippins: Taylor & Francis 2010), p. 741.
  5. Robert D. Sprauge, "Liability for System and Data Quality" in Social, Ethical and Policy Implications of Information Technology (eds. Linda L. Brennan & Victoria Elizabeth Johnson: Idea Group: 2004), p. 194)
  6. Christopher Lawless, Forensic Science: A Sociological Introduction (Routledge, 2016), p. 62.
  7. Web site: 72 Trades To Learn for a Successful Trade Career | Indeed.com.
  8. Web site: Is Sewing a Trade? + Sewing Jobs & Titles . 15 August 2022 .
  9. Web site: Levels of Success. 9 October 2015. 14 February 2016. Sutton Trust.
  10. Web site: Occupational Outlook Handbook . December 17, 2015 . Bureau of Labor Statistics . Department of Labor . September 29, 2017 . The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations. .
  11. Web site: High-wage occupations by typical entry-level education, 2017 . Torpey . Elka . January 2019 . Bureau of Labor Statistics . Department of Labor . February 9, 2019 . Overall, wages are higher in occupations typically requiring a degree for entry than in occupations typically requiring less education. But that’s not always the case..
  12. Web site: The Overlooked Value of Certificates and Associate's Degrees: What Students Need to Know Before They Go to College . Carnevale . Anthony . January 2020 . Center on Education and the Workforce . Georgetown University . 28 January 2020 . This report examines the labor-market value of associate’s degrees and certificate programs, finding that field of study especially influences future earnings for these programs since they are tightly linked with specific occupations. .
  13. Web site: More people with bachelor's degrees go back to school to learn skilled trades . Marcus . Jon . The Hechinger Report . 20 November 2020 . A lot of other people also have invested time and money getting four-year degrees only to return for career and technical education in fields ranging from firefighting to automation to nursing, in which jobs are relatively plentiful and salaries and benefits comparatively good, but which require faster and far less costly certificates and associate degrees..
  14. Web site: How Much Do Tradies Really Earn? . Moore . Shane . 10 October 2018 . Trade Risk . Trade Risk Insurance Pty Ltd . 23 June 2019 . We are using the taxable incomes provided to us by thousands of self-employed tradies from around Australia. .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tradesperson".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.