Industrial Arts Education: Skills & Career Pathways

Industrial Arts

Industrial Arts

Industrial Arts, the program of studies that introduces boys and girls in elementary and secondary schools to the processes, tools, and materials of industry. Subject matter ranges from weaving and clay modeling in the primary grades to complex projects requiring machine tools in high school. Through lectures, motion pictures, and field trips, students also learn about various industries.

Manual training—showing pupils how to work with their hands and with tools—is part of an industrial arts program but is not considered by many educators to be a major objective. The major objective, educators believe, should be to provide pupils with insights into their own assets, interests, and limitations in relation to an industrialized society. Industrial arts programs also aim to sharpen students' appreciation of design and workmanship, and to interest them in creative crafts that may give them leisure-time satisfaction.

Unlike vocational training, the industrial arts program does not try to prepare students to enter specific trades or occupations. On the advanced level, however, industrial arts and vocational training are closely related and sometimes are grouped together as industrial education.

Industrial Arts Curriculum

The amount of time devoted to industrial arts in a particular school depends largely on the size of the school and the equipment available. A large school usually has unit shops, each devoted to a particular subject. A small school may have only a general shop, divided into separate areas for each subject. Basic courses include the following.

Ceramics

starts with the making of simple clay vases and bowls and includes the use of the potter's wheel, glazing, and firing in the kiln. Work with tile, brick, and cement may be done.

Electricity

begins with the study of magnets, batteries, and simple electrical motors and appliances. Advanced work may include the repair of radio and television receivers.

Mechanical Drawing

teaches students how to draw working diagrams and how to read engineers' and architects' drawings.

Metalworking

begins with the shaping and riveting of soft metals such as copper and aluminum and may include techniques of soldering and welding.

Plastics

Students are taught the properties of plastics and how to shape plastics into useful and ornamental objects.

Woodworking

Students progress from the beginning carpentry operations of sawing, planing, and nailing lumber to the making of furniture that may require complex joinery and wood turning on a lathe. Painting and varnishing are also included.

Other Courses

include auto mechanics and printing. Often, these courses are more in the nature of vocational training than of industrial arts education. Courses such as household repairs, dressmaking, and interior decorating are also sometimes included in the industrial arts curriculum.