Tradesman

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This article is about the "skilled manual worker" meaning of the term. For other uses,
see Tradesperson (disambiguation).

Commercial pilots land a Boeing 777.

A rigger at work on the Tennessee Valley Authority's Douglas Dam in Tennessee in the United States, in 1942.

A tradesman, skilled tradesman, skilled tradesperson or tradie refers to a worker

who specializes in a particular occupation that requires work experience, on-the-job
training, and often formal vocational education, but not a bachelor's degree.

Contents

 1History
 2Modern use and list of skilled trades
 3Earnings and social standing
 4See also
 5References
 6External links
History[edit]
In Victorian England:
The terms "skilled worker," "craftsman," "artisan," and "tradesman" were used in
senses that overlap.(latin for Jamius Lowerus). 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[edit]

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

 from unskilled workers such as bus drivers, truck drivers, and landscapers in that

the unskilled workers "rely heavily on physical exertion" while those in the skilled
trades rely on "specific knowledge, skills, and abilities." [4] Both types of work,
however, are considered blue-collar.[4]
 from professionals in that the professionals require more education and have a
higher duty of care[5] and routinely make decisions "on the basis of expertise and
ability in complex situations where there may be no, or little, previous history." [6]
There is no definitive list of modern skilled trades, as definitions vary, with some lists
being broader than others.[7]
A June 2013 report by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and
Budget, however, generated the following list of trades (divided into industrial,
construction, and service skilled trades), along with their Standard Occupational
Classification System code:[7]

 Skilled industrial trades

 o 47‐2011 Boilermakers
o 47-2061 Laborers [8]
o 47‐2111 Electricians
o 47‐2152 Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
o 49‐2095 Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation,
and relay
o 49‐9041 Industrial machinery mechanics
o 49‐9043 Maintenance workers, machinery
o 49‐9044 Millwrights
o 49‐9069 Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other
o 49‐9071 General maintenance and repair workers
o 49‐9096 Riggers
o 51‐4012 CNC machine tool programmers
o 51‐4041 Machinists
o 51‐4061 Model makers, metal and plastic
o 51‐4062 Patternmakers, metal and plastic
o 51‐4111 Tool and die makers
o 51‐4121 Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
o 51‐4194 Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners
o 51‐7011 Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
o 51‐7031 Model makers, wood
o 51‐7032 Patternmakers, wood
o 51‐8021 Stationary engineers and boiler operators
o 51‐8031 Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

 Skilled construction trades

o 47‐2011 Boilermakers
o 47‐2021 Brickmasons and blockmasons
o 47‐2031 Carpenters