Great Britain 1.3: Apprenticeships and Professional Societies

Описание: Provides illustrative quotes and examples of the British tradition of training engineers through apprenticeships. Introduces the conflict between apprenticeships and higher education as methods of training engineers and establishes the prominent position of professional societies in advocating for practical training. Outlines the hierarchies and positions that engineering apprentices moved through to become engineers and contrasts the role of professional societies in Great Britain and the United States.

References:

Institution of Civil Engineers (2013 [1870]). The Education and Status of Civil Engineers, in the United Kingdom and in Foreign Countries. London, Forgotten Books.

Coleman, Donald C. "Gentlemen and Players." The Economic History Review 26.1 (1973): 92-98.

Morice, P. B. "Britain and European Engineering Education." European Journal of Engineering Education 13.1 (1988): n. pag.

Virginia Tech’s Video Broadcast Services and I produced these videos in 2002 to meet overwhelming demand for the Engineering Cultures course. Since then, STS Ph.D. students have used them to teach a range of online versions. My classroom version has evolved significantly, especially by clarifying that it follows images engineers advance of themselves and their countries, and by calling greater attention to what such images hide. Still, these videos have proven instructive to many. I’m happy to address any specifics via comments.

Hearty thanks to Kristen Koopman, STS Ph.D. candidate, for editing, annotating, and posting the entire corpus. Thanks to you for watching!