Just as there are stages of accomplishment in learning a skill, craft or trade, there are levels of expertise within those stages. Today, many things about the trades are changing and adapting to newer materials, equipment and techniques. Training, likewise, has morphed in the past twenty or so years into areas of specialization within areas of specialization. Teaching, and learning, an entire trade has been slowly replaced by teaching, and learning, only enough of the trade tasks and skills to fulfill a particular job. As an example, any ancillary education outside of, say, rodding (drain cleaning in today's vernacular) a stoppage is accidental, in many cases. Once someone is taught how to use drain cleaning equipment, they are given a short course on stoppage clearing and basic drainage system installations and sent out into the world to ply their new skill with little, or no, understanding of the principles or designs of the whole systems that they work on.
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