Reskilling America, Katherine S. Newman
Reskilling America, Katherine S. Newman
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Reskilling America
Learning to Labor in the 21st Century

Author: Katherine S. Newman

Narrator: Callie Beaulieu

Unabridged: 8 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/19/2016

Synopsis

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.

About Katherine S. Newman

Katherine S. Newman is the author of twelve books on topics ranging from urban poverty to school violence. No Shame in My Game: the Working Poor in the Inner City received the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Prize. Katherine is currently provost and professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kyle on September 20, 2017

In this timely look at a very important topic, Katherine Newman and Hella Winston challenge prevailing views about the form and value of vocational education in the United States. Whereas vocational education has become the red-headed stepchild of American education policy, the authors argue that th......more

Goodreads review by Roxanne on March 11, 2016

This is a Goodreads win review. This book is about how the off-shoring and downsizing has left our workers obsolete and that we are on the verge of an industrial renaissance. However we do not have the workers that can do more technically demanding jobs. Even with a college degree poeple have a prob......more

Goodreads review by Kiona Meade on August 15, 2021

The book started somewhat interesting and then was pretty boring and dry for most of the middle. Conclusion was pretty great though, so I’ll give it four stars.......more

Goodreads review by Tom on March 21, 2016

The author does a good job making an easy, insightful read about a necessary if not coming resurgence in vocational aka career and technical education (CTE). The authors arguments are: 1) It worked in the USA before (Pre-WWI to post-WWI) and had a nadir in the 80s but is due for a resurgence because.......more

Goodreads review by Susan on September 18, 2016

More and more schools are heading back to traditional methods of post secondary choices. Our schools should support more trade schools to enhance our labor workforce Some kids are not meant to be a college bound student,but trade school or armed services are a better choice. A typical American schoo......more

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