Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the 21st Century

Written by Katherine S. Newman

Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

After decades of off-shoring and downsizing that have left blue collar workers obsolete, the United States is now on the verge of an industrial renaissance. We don't have a skilled labor pool to fill the positions that will be created, which are technically demanding and require specialized skills. A decades-long series of idealistic educational policies with the expressed goal of getting every student to go to college has left a generation of potential workers out of the system. Touted as a progressive, egalitarian institution providing opportunity even to those with the greatest need, the American secondary school system has deepened existing inequalities.Acclaimed sociologists Katherine Newman and Hella Winston argue we can do better. Taking a page from the successful experience of countries like Germany and Austria, they call for a radical reevaluation of the idea of vocational training. The United States can prepare a high performance labor force if we revamp our school system to value industry apprenticeship and technical education. By doing so, we will not only be able to meet the growing demand for skilled employees in dozens of sectors-we will make the American Dream accessible to all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Apr 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781622319879

Katherine S. Newman

Katherine S. Newman is Ford Foundation Professor of Urban Studies, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the author of No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City (1999), Declining Fortunes: The Withering of the American Dream (1994), and Law and Economic Organization (1983).

Reviews for Reskilling America

[linda555-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Full of good ideas on how to fix Americas labor problem. Now if we could only get our leaders to act on them.

[bespen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Another negative book review from me. For Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the Twenty-first Century by Katherine S. Newman and Hella Winston, the problem is not a lack of research, but rather that the book, like American society in general, has no real way to grapple with the fact that some kids aren’t as smart as others. Any vocational ed program in the United States is going to have a problem with averages that we aren’t capable of resolving.Freddie deBoer or Paige Harden will be happy to point out why this is so. If that isn’t enough, consider that someone who writes a book like No, You Can’t Be an Astronaut that does attempt to grapple with this in a constructive way, does so under a pseudonym.Until something big changes, vocational education programs will keep getting proposed, and keep dying for this big, but largely unacknowledged reason. All of the carefully assembled research cited in this volume means nothing until that happens.I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.

[junerain-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting and informative book that tackles the impending youth underskilling and underemployment crisis looming. I don't know that I'm convinced that the cultural and policy shifts necessary are politically realistic, but the book is very persuasive of the problem and the need for some way to address it.

[newton_books · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

America needs to increase and systemize vocational training, say authors Katherine S. Newman and Hella Winston. They address a general adult audience, but this book would appeal to mostly to people involved in the triangle of players the authors speak of: government officials over education, industry leaders (including unions), and educators in high school and college (vocational/technical schools and community college), and perhaps parents.

As a homeschooling parent of a high schooler would rather attend a trade school than a four-year college, I perked up my ears to catch the title of this book while listening to Michael Medved interview one of the authors on his radio show. Then I ordered the book.

The education system of the United States, with its focus on "college for all," is harmful for several reasons, states Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the Twenty-First Century.
First, many manufacturing jobs that left the US a few decades ago are returning, and industry can't find enough qualified employees to fill positions. Next, many students, primarily from the lower working class families or those who prefer working with their hands instead of academic work, need another option other than a four-year degree or a "McDonald" job. Moreover, if America is going to be competitive in the global market, it needs to change its negative attitude toward middle-wage, blue-collar work.

The authors are enamored by the German education system, in which students are tracked for vocational or college work. The vocational track gives the students much more training time in a factory and allows them to receive more school credit for that work than in the US system. The authors agree that due to cultural differences, the US cannot fully adopt the German system, but call for a modified, nationally standardized system for apprenticeships in the US, asking primarily the federal government to foot the bill like it is done in Germany.

I disagree with that last belief. The US once was the industrial leader in the world by the power of the private sector. Therefore, apprenticeships should be left to the private sector.

Overall, the book is easy to read and provides a different viewpoint on educating our young people. However, it did bother me that all their examples of programs in the US were in the East, South, and Midwest. No mention of programs in the West, where I live. Furthermore, I wish they had included more information on how an individual can be involved in making concrete changes in one's own community.

For years, I've been concerned that most appliance repairmen are old. Who will fix my dishwasher 20 years from now? Too many young people are in college who don't belong there and end up dropping out and wasting time and money. By growing the trade schools, many will benefit across the nation.

[heatherms · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book about how our workplace has changed and how we need to adapt so that this generation has a better opportunity to gain the skills they need to stay employed.

[buchowl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Normally I follow a standard schematic for my reviews - short summary, personal opinion and finally, reader recommendtion and rating. In the case of this book, I'm just going to cut to the chase and give my opinion.This is an important book. Youth unemployment is at 10% at this time and jobs are going begging for skilled workers. Obviously something is broken and needs to be fixed. Authors Katherine S. Newman and Hella Winston present eminently doable programs and ideas (increased high school/vocational interface, apprenticeships, greater community college involvement) that would go far in fixing this problem. Yet the problem isn't that we don't know how to fix it or cannot. It lies more in the idea that vocational education is somehow less worthy than a college degree. And in the frenzied quest to keep everyone 'equal' education seems to forget that part of its job is to help students learn to provide for themselves. This prejudice is wrong and damaging - not everyone is suited to go to college or even wants to. I have seen what a well run apprenticeship will do - several family members have gone through these types of programs and my father was a German Meister Machinist (this credential translated to an engineering job in the US). These programs and the jobs they lead to are sources of pride and prestige in Europe, there is no reason that this would not work in the US other that the notion that a college degree for everyone should be the ideal. The highest endorsement I can give this book is that I wish that the programs Newman and Winston advocate had been implemented when my own children were making career decisions; I would have strongly encouraged them to take advantage of them. It high time our young people were given an honest shot. Do your part - read the book.

[3wheeledlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting and persuasive book. If industry is going to thrive in the US, then work related education needs increased levels of support, with opportunities available through both community colleges and high schools. Not everybody needs to go to college, particularly if there are systematic apprentiship programs available. The authors call for a "national system of vocational education" managed by an effective infrastructure.

[gramraye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At last! Someone has figured it out though not hopeful for the future. I'm not a sociologist or an educator but I have been observing and "preaching" for years about the problems inherent in the idea that everybody needs to get a 4-year degree in order to have a life. Nonsense! With so many kids graduating with a bachelor degree, a crushing load of debt and no job in sight, it's time to look around and the author has done it. This book should be required reading for all high school guidance counselors. but sadly, it's not gonna happen. Unfortunately the author doesn't hold out much hope that the educational community will get the message.

[mitchellray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Industrial jobs are beginning to return to the United States, but the country lacks an adequately trained workforce. Newman and Winston explain why this is the case and how to remedy the labor shortage. The two sociologists trace the history of vocational education in the U.S. and how Americans developed a bias against blue-collar jobs. The cognitive and physical skills required by industrial workers are generally devalued. And the current obsession that everyone earns a college degree is exacerbating the situation. Youths with a bent for professions in the trades are instead being channeled into higher education. The authors show how vocational training can be an intellectually rigorous form of education and provide young people with well-paying careers. Newman and Winston discuss the challenges facing vocational education and how those challenges may be resolved. Anyone concerned with the future of American industry, labor, education, and youth would be well served by reading this volume.