Introduction

Abstract

The term’ skill’ is widely used in industry and in psychology. In the working world there are said to be three grades of operative; the skilled, the semiskilled and the unskilled. The distinctions are in terms of length and kind of training. A skilled man has served an apprenticeship, a semi-skilled operative has had some training, an unskilled job is one which any person can do immediately (Table 1). This categorization will not bear close examination even within one industry. Different trades have different lengths of apprenticeship but the duration seems to depend more on tradition than on the amount of material to be absorbed. The length of training for a semi-skilled operative might be anything from 2 days to 2 years, and the distinction between an apprenticeship and a training period is based on long established custom and practice in the industry or trade concerned. It is usually true that, given the necessary physical capacities, anyone can do an unskilled job but could the appropriate performance level be maintained or achieved at all? We can all pick apples but few of us would like to live on the money we would earn by our speed at picking apples. Logically, since all jobs are subject to some improvement with practice the problem of whether this practice ought to come from experience or from formal training would be better settled by systematic investigation rather than by the arbitrary habit of regarding particular jobs as skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled.