Hilary Dickinson

An Aspect of Industrial Training in the Federal Republic of Germany: sociological considerations on the role of the meister

Summary The technical training and education of the young is now a major focus of Government concern. A number of European systems (particularly the West German) have been examined by bodies acting on behalf of, or at the behest of, the Government. One of the most interesting methods of industrial training in West Germany is the meistersystem. The meisteror industrial tutor (a position enshrined in German statute and practice) is a senior craftsman responsible throughout German industry for a considerable amount of the regulation of technical training of young skilled workers. The meistersystem might prove to be one ‘model’ for British industrial training and as such the role of the meisteris worthy of sociological consideration. The paper presents an outline of who the meisteris, what he or she does; and some sociological considerations on the historical development and contemporary function of the meisterare put forward. Finally, a brief conclusion on the applicability of the meistersystem to Britain is...

'Moral Positioning' and Occupational Socialization in the Training of Hairdressers, Secretaries and Caterers

Abstract This paper examines the occupational socialization of hairdressers, secretaries andcaterers. It introduces the term moral positioning to analyse aspects of this socialization. Moral positioning refers to a stance which minimizes the economic/instrumental aspects of an occupation, instead emphasizing moral cues and social skills. We argue that the adoption of such a stance is a distortion of the real situation, where economic and instrumental considerations are of great importance. An active development of an awareness of ones social position is precluded. Instead a specific and narrow range of values and interpretations are called on, related to the task in hand; and that these values are utilized as a guise to organize economic practices by way of a perversion of moral imperatives into bureaucratic forms.