Printer’s Apprentice, The
This is the story of the adventures of ten-year-old Gus Croft, who was an apprentice to a printer in New York City in 1734. He was developing his own human capital as he learned skills that he could use when he was grown and would become a master printer on his own. He received no direct pay, but bartered his labor for the skills he gained.
Economic Concepts
- Human Capital
- Choices
- Costs
- Benefits
- Incentives
- Opportunity Costs
Grade Levels
- Intermediate (4-6)
Related Subjects
- U.S. History
Description of Lesson 13, Apprenticeship: Investment in Human Capital
From Adventures in Economic and U.S. History, Volume 1
Students weigh the costs and benefits of being an apprentice, as well as the costs and benefits of taking on an apprentice. They come to understand that learning a new skill is investing in one’s own human capital. They compare the way people acquire skills today and how they did so in colonial times.