On 2009/03/22, at 8:36 AM, John M. Steele wrote:
Good letter. Hopefully, it is the beginning of a continuing dialog.
I don't have my thoughts sufficiently organized to write to him
yet. However, I would like to introduce the idea that this is a
domestic issue, not just an "international trade" issue. We have a
"measurement divide" in the U.S. much like the "digital divide"
which gets more press.
We certainly have industries which remain staunchly Customary.
However, we also have industries and companies that have already
converted to metric and need employees who can work in metric.
Those needs exist at all levels from the production floor to the
engineering department. Schools which fail to give students a
grounding in metric measurement deny those students opportunities in
these companies (or require the company to educate them).
Industries which are metric include the automotive industry (both
domestic and transplant), electronics, pharmaceuticals, and many
individual multinationals who are metric internally, whether or not
their whole industry is.
I doubt the government even has good figures on what percentage of
industry is metric or what percentage of students are poorly
equipped to work there.
Dear John,
In a submission made to the government enquiry on education the
president of the USMA, Lorelle Young, gave an estimate that 60 % of
manufacturing industry in the USA was metric. This would mean that
school students in the USA who are forced to study old pre-metric
measures are being prepared for only 40 % of industries.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected]
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