Gourt Home::Gourt :: Journeyman
Related Topics:Journeyman_Project_Series,_The
A journeyman is a tradesman or craftsman who may well have completed an apprenticeship but is not yet able to set up his own workshop as a master. In parts of Europe, as in later medieval Germany, spending time as a journeyman (Geselle), moving from one town to another to gain experience of different workshops, was an important part of the training of an aspirant master. In later medieval England, however, most journeymen remained as employees throughout their careers, lacking the financial resources to set up their own workshops.
The word 'journeyman' comes from the French word journée, meaning the period of one day; this refers to his right to charge a fee for each day's work. He would normally be employed by a master craftsman, but would live apart and might have a family of his own. A journeyman could not employ others. In contrast, an apprentice would be bound to a master, usually for a fixed term of seven years, and lived with the master as a member of the household.
The grade of journeyman is sometimes subdivided into two: journeyman improver and journeyman proper.
The terms jack and knave are sometimes used as informal words for journeyman. Hence 'jack of all trades, master of none' — someone who has learnt several trades, but is not yet skilled enough in any to set up his own workshop as a master.
United States
In the US, apprenticeships in metalworking include Tool & Die Maker, Machinist, Model-Maker, Sheet-Metal, Foundry and Gear-cutting. Other related fields include Electrician, Plumber and Drafting. The peak years for American apprenticeships were 1930-1981, during which time companies found it useful to employ the maximum-allowed apprentices, 1 for every 6 or 8 journeymen (depending upon the State). In the early-1980 recession most companies cut their apprenticeship programs and did not restore them when conditions improved.
A journeyman has to complete required courses in the field plus 'rotations' through several machines or skill groups. Depending upon the field, apprenticeships leading to journeyman status range from 18 months for concrete-work to 6 years for Die-Makers for the US Treasury. Most apprenticeships last 3 or 4 years.
Women were permitted to enter apprenticeships during WWII, but once the men came home it was men-only again until the mid 1970s. Most companies during this time gave a nod to equal rights at that time by having one woman and one black apprentice. Many of those pioneers, however, were laid off in 1980-82 before they completed the program.
See also
"Journeyman"