HIGHER TRADE TRAINING

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25608, 24 September 1948, Page 8

HIGHER TRADE TRAINING

MINISTER’S PLANS

ADVANCED TECHNICAL COLLEGES (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 23. Because of the demand for higher trade education in New Zealand, plans were in train for the possible establishment of advanced technical colleges, said the Minister of Education (Mr T. H. McCombs) addressing the technical education conference at Wellington to-day. The colleges would not only provide a higher standard in trades instruction, but also help more ambitious men whose aim was a junior executive post, such as foreman or departmental manager.

New Zealand industries, although they had an adequate supply of executive. and trade workers, were lacking in trained men in this intermediate group, and in some cases industries found it necessary to import this class

“I feel that in providing colleges to train junior executives, we shall be doing a worthy task for New Zealand industry,” added Mr McCombs. There must also be more technical instruction both before and during apprenticeship. Technical colleges would no doubt be called upon to provide space and instructors for this work, i It would not be the best plan to have two separate branches of secondary education —one leading to universities and the other to higher technical colleges. A compromise, he thought was the best. Secondary schools should be multilateral and should provide both courses. Many children on entering secondary school did not know what their lifework would be. In England, children were called on at the age of 11 to decide whether they would enter a profession. He did not think this was fair, and thought that schools, embracing both courses would be better in New Zealand. Steps towaris higher technical education m Auckland a year or two ago might possibly have been premature, said Mr McCombs. In any case.£he need was now felt for such collages to provide the skilled labour that New Zealand industries demanded. The Minister said correspondence school courses in the technology Of the textile trade had been arranged. The trainees, after the correspondence course, would probably finish their studies with a short course in Australia. Referring to proposals for the daytime training of apprentices, particularly in the motor and plumbing trades, the Minister said the whole t question of what actual degree of training an apprentice needed and what equipment was needed would arise soon.