SOLDIER INVALIDS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 132, 4 June 1919, Page 10

SOLDIER INVALIDS.

DEVELOPMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING. CONFERENCE OF VOCATIONAL 01-UICEES. (Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON:, this day. A conference of vocational officers ■was recently held in Wellington to consider many points wliit'h have arisen in connection with this important work among soldiers who are sick and disabled. As a result of a very valuable exchange of views, the work of the liducational and Vocational Training Branch of the Defence Department will receive great impetus, and its operations will be extended. Six months ago no vocational training was given in hospitals, although two lady instructors had been engaged by the . medical authorities to teach occupational -work, such as basket-making and leather work, in the institutions under the Defence Department's control. It was to ensure that soldiers in hospital should be given, nob only occupational inetruotion, but also vocational training, prior to titeir discharge that , I the special branch was set up, under the I control of a Director of Vocational Training. The staff has already grown to over r>o, and as new demands for instruction come forward, it is being | ; steadily increased. Workshops have; ' I been provided at Auckland, Rotorua, ■Napier, Trentham, Chrietchurch, Han-| ; j mcr, Timurii, Dunedin, and Tnvercargill. ; I Funds for this purpose and for tlie pro- ' I vision of equipment have been provided :': by the New Zealand Red C'rose Society, : \ wliidi devotes itself to tlie welfare of ' ' the sick and wounded soldier. In these 'hospitals instructors have been ap- : ! pointed to teach trades suitable to bos- ■ ' pital patients, such as boot-repairing, '.'carpentry, cabinet - making, niotor- . , engineering, and buninesa courses. In i some hospitals instruction by way of ! j lectures is aUo given in economics and • : civics. Tt has been found, however, that ! the soldier* usually prefer to interest 1 ! themselves in vocational rather than ' j educational work. j ! Tt is tlie duty of the Vocation Officer t J to interview every soldier patient, ami • I get him interested in his future civilian j activities, and to start his training be- ! fore leaving the hospital. When it is i realised that there arc 1 ."0-2 patients at ' the hospitals in New Zenland, ami that j the out-patients number 1.571, the I magnitude of the task of interviewing is j evident, and it wns not surprising to find that all the Vocation Officers reported that they were overworked. Assistant Vocation Officers have now lioen appointed in Auckland and Christchurch. ' ! and similar appointments are to be made in Wellington and Dunedin. This extension of the etaff will enable the branch to pay special attention to ' the needs of the soldier out-patients. It ~ is the wish of the Minister of Defence that these patients should be trained in the same way an those undergoing treatment as in-patients. Owing to tiie fact that they only get into touch with the Vocation Officer once or twice a week, when they come to the-hospitals for medical attention, it is difficult to interview each man. "We are not going to allow the outpatients to drift," stated the Director of Educational and Vocational Training. "They will receive not only medical atV tention, but holp in the task of prepar--1 ing for their future as Useful Civilians." c All out-patients are to be interviewed by the Vocation Officers, who will advise c 'them as to the best training for civilian d positions, and encourage them to take ! > advantage of the educational facilities <■- provided by the 'Department. 1 The relations of the Educational and .1 Vocational Training Branch with the :- Repatriation Department, which looks after the soldier upon discharge, were r fully considered at the conference. A i- representative of the Director of Re--3 patnation and the secretary of the d Repatriation Hoard attended a sittinp if of tho conference, and it was decided tc ;, co-ordinate tlie work so that the men n who have been trained while undergoing n medical treatment may continue theii g education, after discharge, tinder the t direction of the Repatriation Departd. nicnt. ,1 It ha 6 been a difficult nnd delicate task to introduce vocational training into the j hospitals, for soldier invalids, like the <j average civilian, are disinclined to taki a up new activities during the restfii ,f period of convalescence. Useful occupa , r tion plays an important part in winniiu r . strength and a cheerful mental outlook ir and for this reason alone is a factor o' v i great value. The soldier's future as ; j civilian is the subject of the Defenct j Department's anxious concern, there tire n j the Vocation Officers—carefully sclcetei I from the ranks of the returned men. witl a knowledge of their outlook, and f keen desire to help their old comrades— \ strive to interest them in their life aftet ' discharge when they enter the competi • tive arena outside. They have to over X como the disinclination of the convales j~ cent to undertake, any active work, am they often have to overcome bis feeliiif ' r of hopelessness in regard to the fiitun ' The work was commenced without th< ° aid or stimulus of precedent, but tin r " conference showed that it is now wel established that the bulk of the soldier > appreciate what is being done for them n and as a result the soldier will leave " hospital better equipped for civilian re °" sponsibilitics than before the Educa '" tional nnd Vocational Branch was es 1C tablished. i-