On the Job Training: To live and die by the sword
While there remains disagreement over which is the world's oldest profession, one thing is clear apprenticeship is the world's oldest way of training people for their chose occupation. Formal and highly structured apprenticeship programs are extremely common and highly successful in Germany. In the US and Canada the government takes an active role in supporting apprenticeship programs and in matching young and inexperienced workers with seasoned professionals who can show them the way.
Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation. Apprenticeship programs can be sponsored by individual employers, joint employer and labor groups, and/or employer associations. The Department of Labor's role is to safeguard the welfare of apprentices, ensure equality of access to apprenticeship programs, and provide integrated employment and training information to sponsors and the local employment and training community. The Department's Employment and Training Administration (ETA) provides a list of contacts to help you locate apprenticeship opportunities near you. Information is also available by subscribing to DOL's Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer, and Labor Services' (ATELS) listserv.
Before the advent of listserv-enabled, formal, government-sponsored apprenticeship programs the young were initiated into their avocation by their parents, relatives, or neighbors. In many parts of the world it's still that way. The Middle East Media Research Institute provides a particularly morbid example -both literally and figuratively- in a recent report about three generations of executioners from Saudi Arabia:
Abdallah Al-Bishi: "I started to work in this field after the death of my father about a week or 10 days after his death, in 1412 [1991-92]. I was surprised that the people who supervise this field summoned me, saying I had a mission. Allah be praised. Of course, I did not have swords or anything back then, but I used the swords of my father, may he rest in peace, and carried out the execution. My first mission was to execute three people."Reporter: "Abu Bader's swords have cut off a hundred heads and more. His eldest son, Badr, is training in the same profession. He inherited this profession from his father, Sa'id Al-Bishi. He remembers how, when still a small boy, he accompanied him to the beheading of a criminal in Mecca. That sight, Abu Badr says, was the turning point in his life."
Abdallah Al-Bishi: "I was at school, and an execution was set for my father in Mecca. It was to take place in front of the King Abd Al-'Aziz Gate. Before all that happened at the Al-Haram Mosque, the executions were held there. We showed up. I was a little boy. The first thing that came to my mind when people talked about executions was the digestive system. I wanted to see it. At that time, we had an exam at school on the digestive system, and we had to explain about the digestive system and whatever... So I came along, and the moment my father executed the man, I ran to see the digestive system, but all I could see was the man's head flying, and where the neck used to be, there was a kind of well. It went down. That's it. I couldn't take it anymore. I woke up in the car on the way home. At night, I tried to go to sleep, but couldn't. I had nightmares, but only once. Then I got used to it, Allah be praised. "
First TV host: "Are you training your eldest son Badr or one of his brothers to do the same job in the future, especially since you inherited this profession from your father?"
Abdallah Al-Bishi: "Allah be praised, Badr is about to be appointed to the position in Riyadh."
Commentary
As I read this last line, I could almost see Mr. al-Bishi beaming with pride in speaking of his son, Badr. But at the same time, these lines from the "FAQ's for Apprentices" on the Canadian government's "Employment Ontario" webpage stuck in my mind:
Q: What is an apprentice? A: An apprentice is someone who learns a skilled trade on the job, under the direction of more experienced workers. Apprentices also complete classroom instruction as a part of their training.
I thought of those lines and wondered about Badr's apprenticeship: Did he get on-the-job-training? If so, what or who was it on? Was there a classroom or formal instructional component and if so, of what did it consist? How much job security is there in earning your living dispensing death the sword?
See also: Singapore Executioner Wants Out
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