Weeks Edwin Craftsman Selling Cases By A Teak Wood Building Ahmedabad

Historically, a master craftsman or master

tradesman A tradesperson or tradesman/tradeswoman is a skilled worker that specialises in a particular trade. Tradespeople (tradesmen/women) usually gain their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program or formal educ ...

(sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries. In the European guild system, only masters and journeymen were allowed to be members of the guild. An aspiring master would have to pass through the career chain from

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

before he could be elected to become a master craftsman. He would then have to produce a sum of money and a

masterpiece A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

before he could actually join the guild. If the masterpiece was not accepted by the masters, he was not allowed to join the guild and possibly remained a journeyman for the rest of his life.

Today's master craftsman in different countries

Germany

Meistertitel - Uhrmacherhandwerk - Handwerkskammer Dresden - am 16

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, the master craftsman (''Meister'') is the highest professional qualification in crafts and is a state-approved grade. The certification is called ''Meisterbrief''. The qualification includes theoretical and practical training in the craft as well as

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

and legal training. Additionally, it implies the qualification to train apprentices. These qualifications prepare the ''Meister'' for running their own business or alternatively for higher positions at a company. The status of master craftsmen is regulated in the German ''Gesetz zur Ordnung des Handwerks'' ( Crafts and Trades Regulation Code). Guilds have been abolished in Germany, but the ranks of apprentice (''Lehrling''), journeyman (''Geselle'') and master craftsman have been retained even through modern times. For safety-relevant crafts, e.g.,

electrician An electrician is a tradesman, tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the ...

s and chimney sweeps, any business in the trade has to be run by a master craftsman or has to employ at least one ''Meister''. Journeymen and master craftsmen are by law automatically members of their regional chamber of crafts (''Handwerkskammer''), which is a self-governing public body. The chamber organizes vocational training and oversees the examination of the journeymen and masters. To become a master craftsman, it is usually required to have completed vocational training in the craft in which the examination is to be taken, culminating in a final examination called ''Gesellenprüfung'' (journeyman's examination). If these requirements are fulfilled, the candidate can take courses for the ''Meisterprüfung'' (master craftsman's examination). The duration of the courses takes 1 to 4 years depending on the craft and on the Course. The examination includes theoretical, practical and oral parts and takes 5 to 7 days (depending on the craft). In some crafts, the creation of a

is also part of the examination. The German ''Meister'' qualifies the holder to study for a bachelor's degree at

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, whether the ''Meister'' holds a regular university entrance qualification or not. According to the German Qualifications Framework, the ''Meisterbrief'' is at the same level as a bachelor's degree, even though it is not an academic degree and thus not directly comparable.

United Kingdom

This tradition originates in

Medieval Europe In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

. The earliest guilds were "frith" or "peace" guilds – groups bonded together for mutual protection following the breakdown of the kins, which were groups related by blood ties. Merchant guilds – associations of international trades – were powerful in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but lost their ascendancy with the rise of the

craft guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

– associations of master craftsmen, journeymen, apprentices and the various trades connected with a particular craft. The

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

in London awarded a coat of arms of The Guild of Master Craftsmen in 1992, after four years of assessment. Designed by heraldic expert Peter Greenhill to reflect the many categories of guild membership, it features: three escutcheons (shields) to represent artists, painters and stainers; a pair of compasses opened in chevron for

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

and

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. C ...

; a

dovetail A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, a ...

(separating the top third of the shield from the rest) to represent

cabinetmaking A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a Bathroom cabinet, medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically mad ...

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

and

joiner Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

y; and a

gavel A gavel is a small ceremonial mallet/hammer commonly made of hardwood, typically fashioned with a handle. It can be used to call for attention or to punctuate rulings and proclamations and is a symbol of the authority and right to act officially ...

and

chisel A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

for masons and stoneworkers. The southern keep of

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

Castle, which overlooks the guild's headquarters, is featured above the helmet as the crest.

United States

While for the most part guilds as such do not exist, many trades continue the apprentice-journeyman-master model:

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

pipefitter A pipefitter or steamfitter is a tradesman who installs, assembles, fabricates, maintains, and repairs mechanical piping systems. Pipefitters usually begin as helpers or apprentices. Journeyman pipefitters deal with industrial/commercial/marine ...

s and

plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, hot-water production, sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.

s are notable examples.

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Website of German craft chambers

The Guild of Master Craftsmen

The Woodworkers Institute
* Deutscher Qualifikationsrahmen
Meister equivalent bachelor, German Government
{{Authority control Craft occupations Guilds Industry (economics)