Using case studies from Germany, Britain, the United States and Japan, this text traces cross-national differences in contemporary training regimes back to the political settlement achieved among employers in skill-intensive industries, artisans and early trade unions in the 19th century

Introduction. A pursuit of pleasurable studies with woodworkers -- An anthropologist's journey into craftwork and apprenticeship -- The carpenters' company and early London apprenticeships -- The building crafts college: a history -- Getting started -- Crafting craftspeople: introducing the...