1. Two Types of Construction Training: General  associated with handicraft production  greater level of worker control over production methods  skills are transferable so worker mobility between firms is high  many employers benefit from utilizing the “well-rounded” worker

2. Specific Training  associated with standardized production  greater level of employer control over work processes  technology investment to replace craft skills  greater division of labor ( task specialization)  skills have more limited transferability so mobility is lower  greater attachment (dependence) to single employer  firms must recoup their own training costs so there is a greater incentive to hold on to skilled workers

3. Can Any Type of Work Be Considered Unskilled?  Name a job that requires no thought whatsoever about organization of tasks or how work is to be performed.  To some extent, skill development is the collection of productive knowledge and its reorganization by employers. However, industrial engineers can’t possibly make all decisions about the organization of work.

4. Unskilled Work?  Occupational shifts into skilled work cannot easily account for the last century's mass “upgrading” of farm labor to manufacturing work.  How much of farm work really was "unskilled?"

5. Unskilled?  The adoption of computer technology in higher education clerical jobs presents a similar skill definition problem. For many workers, computers represent a more efficient typewriter.  There has been no widespread occupational shift to high wage work as a result of this technical innovation.

6. What About Education?  Definitions of skill depend on the amount of education and training necessary to fill an occupational category. Often, these definitions do not include cognitive ability or knowledge.  How much do educational credentials serve as the basis for staffing desirable jobs?  Are Harvard graduates more “skilled” than those from IU?

7. Predictions for the Future According to Andre Gorz:  Future workforce is segmented not only by skills but by attachment to individual firms.  Stable core of elite employees whose skills are maintained by employer through continuous in- house training.  An administrative periphery performing routine monitoring and servicing tasks.  An external workforce employed as independent contractors includes both highly skilled professionals and low-status service workers  A temporary workforce rotates in and out of the labor market.