APPRENTICES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 11, 14 August 1946, Page 3

APPRENTICES

TECHNICAL TRAINING QUESTION IN HOUSE Objection to any proposal enforcing compulsory daylight training in technical schools for apprentices was voiced by Mr W. Sullivan (National, Bay of Plenty) speaking on the Apprentices Bill in the House of Representatives. Such a course,

he said, would not help to increase the number of apprentices in New Zealand. “I believe that employers generally are against that clause for the reason that apprentices are on a 40-hour week basis at present and actually they work about 37 hours. They would need to have time off three or four hours in each week for training at technical schools, and they would have to be paid for that. That would mean more cost,” he said. “That time is to count as part of the time for an apprenticeship period. I am satisfied that the best place to train a boy is in a modern workshop. The most modern workshops today are privately owned. Boys attending such workshops would gain more experience than in technical training schools, where the machinery is obsolete and where the instructors are not as up to date as many foremen inside industries. I would not like to see compulsory daylight training being introduced because that would

have the effect of restricting the number of apprentices trained,, and that is contrary to the spirit of this Bill. I take it that an apprentice will be paid if he goes away for training.” Mr Sullivan said he considered that it would be a disadvantage to all concerned to insist that daylight training should be done in the apprenticeship time. Some men who had served their apprenticeship with a firm remained with that firm 15 or 20 years. It was the duty of the employer to see that the boys got the best training possible. The object of the amending Bill was to ensure that there would be more apprentices for the various industries, added Mr Sullivan, but he was doubtful, however, whether the Bill was goin to help to the extent that was wished. More trades-

men were wanted in practically every industry. The question of the ratio of apprentices to tradesmen had been referred to by some members. The number certainly did vary in practically every trade; in some, one apprentice was allowed to three adult tradesmen and in others one to one or one to two. That ratio had existed for many years. That might have been all right when the skilled worker was more extensively depended upon, but today, with factories mechanised and much work done by machinery it was right that that ratio should be reduced, and if that could be done he felt certain it would open the gate to many more boys to go into the trade. It was only through that training of apprentices that we

were going to get the best tradesman. Some might say that men for certain jobs could be trained in a year or two, but those who knew anything about the matter knew that it took a long time as apprentices who were misfits never became skilled tradesmen. It was good practice to make every possible enquiry regarding boys about to enter apprenticeships as that was in the interests of the youths themselves. They should be apprenticed to trades that were to their liking. Mr Sullivan welcomed the proposal for the issuing of a certificate of apprenticeship to the apprentice after he had finished his period of training. Such a certificate had not previously been issued by all employers, and it was a very good practice to follow in the future as it would give the apprentice some document to show that he had finished his period of training in a

particular trade. Another clause provided for the payment of lodging allowances to apprentices. The funds required for that purpose were to be paid out of State moneys. That was another good provision, as it would give the country lad an opportunity to go to the centres and learn a trade. “We cannot go far enough in making it possible for the youth of the country to learn trades and become skilled men,” he said. “We should open the gates as wide as possible so that we can have the number of skilled men we want in the trades.”

Referring again to the proposed compulsory daylight technical training, Mr Sullivan thought that such a proposal would react against the very object that the legislation set out to achieve. That could be understood when it was realised that certain work was going on inside a factory, and if a lad was taken away from that chain of work during the afternoon it might disorganise the work of the factory for that time. “We have to depend upon the

employers to train our boys,” he said. “No matter how the State may set about it, we must first depend on the employers to take the boys and train them. So if we put any obstacle in the way of the employers and make their position any more uncertain and unprofitable I am certain that it will react against the proper training of apprentices.” Mr Sullivan advocated, also, the Labour Department making a register of employees in different trades with a view to the building up of the number of apprentices.