Before technology and machinery, manufacturing came in the form of items produced by hand. The apprentice would work with the master, learning the production process, and the craft would be passed down through generations. Although this apprenticeship model may still remain in some forms, it has been ousted by mass manufacturing, which has automated, simplified, and expedited the production of goods. By the beginning of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution changed production (through automation of processes that would normally be done by hand) and forced manufacturing companies to train their employees to adapt to these changes and use new technologies as well.

Along these lines, the emergence of the assembly line required workers to learn one small task as part of a larger production line ...