THE CAREER OF YOUR CHOICE LIES BEFORE YOU

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29067, 2 December 1959, Page 21

THE CAREER OF YOUR CHOICE LIES BEFORE YOU

FIND OUT ABOUT YOURSELF A Necessary Step In Choosing A Career (By G. C. BROOKES, District Vocational Guidance Officer] It is not always clearly realised that boys and girls who are faced with choosing a career must know a good deal about themselves. They should be able to measure themselves against the requirements of a particular occupation, and visualise themselves in the actual job, before being convinced that their choice is a final one. Besides collecting information about careers, young people should be encouraged, and assisted, to study themselves—what they are physically, mentally, and emotionally, and what their strengths are, and their weaknesses. These different aspects can be viewed separately, and then brought together to make a complete picture. They can then be matched with the requirements of different occupations in choosing a career.

These aspects can be listed as health and physique, temperament, attitude to work, mental and educational qualities, abilities and disabilities, and interests.

Most boys and girls tend to base their choice on only one or two of these, aspects, usually on the last two of the list—abilities, and interests. You will know that certain kinds of occupations demand ability of a special kind. It would be foolish, for example, for a girl to think of taking up music as a career if she has no ear for music; or for a boy to think of becoming a carpenter if he cannot use his hands properly. Nor would you think of becoming a mechanic if you had no mechanical sense or aptitude. It is, therefore, quite clear that the question of special abilities or disabilities is a very important one. Not only must you find out first what ability you possess, or what weaknesses you suffer from; you must also know before you choose a career that sort of abilities different kinds of occupations demand. It must never be forgotten that most, if not all, such special abilities can be greatly improved by Experience teaches that practice makes perfect. Even if you have only a little apparent ability at the outset, it is quite possible that by Constance practice and application you may become at least equal to others who at the start seemed to be more fortunate. One never knows what one can do until one tries. This leads us to say that it is unwise to make ability the one deciding factor in choosing a career. The existence of a particular ability without other personal qualities such as cleverness or general ability, or temperament, or health, may make it impossible to take up a particular occupation that the ability itself may point to. Success in any vocation de-

mands more than the mere possession of any special ability. Interest in the job, the determination to get on, readiness to learn and to practice, careful attention to the details of the job, selfconfidence, and, of course, sufficient general ability are as important as special ability, if not more so.

Our advice regarding abilities and disabilities would be this—by all means find out about your abilities, and what is required for different occupations. But remember that this alone will riot get you very far. You must also consider the other personal qualities which make you what you are.

Most young people start thinking of careers from the point of view of their interests. But here again, words of warning are necessary. It may be even more dangerous to choose a career on the basis of interest alone than it is on educational or special ability qualities. In the first place, we must remember that you are a growing and developing individual. What you are interested in now may be quite different from your interests in two or three years’ time when you are ready to leave school. In the second place, interests can often be confused with ability This has been mentioned in connexion with the example just* quoted, But what we mean ’cbVers more than this. Unless an interest is accompanied by special or general ability it is better tq regard it purely as an interest, as something to be pursued as a leisure time activity. Interest alone, without consideration of other qualities, is not a good basis for the choice of a career. '

A CAREER CHOSEN BY MANY Apprenticeships For The Practical Boy For the boy, or girl, with a practical bent, a trade apprenticeship often proves the answer when deciding on a career. Last year, about one-third of all boys leaving school entered into apprenticeships. A wide variety of trades in which apprenticeships are available includes carpentry and joinery; painting, glazing, and signwriting; plumbing and gasfitting; fitting and turning; motor engineering; electrical wiring; printing; panelbeating; moulding; bricklaying and plastering; coopering; cabinetmaking; boatbuild* ing; bootmaking; and bread baking. Watchmaking, jewellery manufacturing, mechanical dentistry, tailoring and cutting, hairdressing, and pastrycooking are trades to Which girls may be apprenticed.

A trade apprenticeship is a written agreement between an employer, an apprentice, and the apprentice’s guardian. The apprentice undertakes to serve the employer for a stated time and to learn the trade to which he is apprenticed. The apprentice being a minor (under 21), the guardian also signs the contract and shares the responsibility. The^-employer undertakes to employ the apprentice for the stated time, and is responsible for teaching the apprentice his trade.

A contract of apprenticeship is not something to be entered upon lightly, for there are serious responsibilities placed on all three parties. The apprentice commits himself to a period of service and learning that will make his future career. The guardian commits himself to see that the apprentice carries out these obligations. The employer commits himself to employ and train the

apprentice. It is desirable for a boy entering a skilled trade to have had at least two years’ secondary education. Good general education will always be of value, particularly later on when selection is being made for foreman, workshop managers, and other responsible positions. Most apprenticeships are for a term of five years of 10,000 hours (40 hours a week, multiplied by 50 working weeks each year). At the end of each 1000-hour term, the apprentice receives an increase in wages. In some trades, the period of apprenticeship may be reduced (but by not more than one year) where appropriate examination qualifications are gained before the end of the apprenticeship. For instance, in plumbing, the normal six years’ apprenticeship may be completed forthwith if the apprentice passes the Plumpers’ Registration Board examination during the last year of his apprenticeship. In many trades, an apprenticeship is shortened by 1000 hours (six months) if School Certificate is held. In other trades, a 50 per cent pass in certain subjects of that examination will shorten the term. An apprentice may be required to attend appropriate evening classes at a technical school, or day classes where these are held. These requirements are binding on the apprentice, who must attend the prescribed classes, and on the employer who must pay wages for time spent at classes during working hours. In country districts, Where classes are not available, the apprentice may be required to do a course with the Wellington Technical Correspondence School, or attend a full-time course of up to four weeks at a technical

school, in each of the first three years. In many trades, the technical classes are designed to prepare the apprentice for examinations set by the New Zealand Trades Certification Board. The first qualifying, second qualifying, and trades certification examinations are taken at various periods throughout the apprenticeship term, each having to be passed before the next one can be attempted. Although in most trades it is not essential to pass the certification examinations, an apprentice who does so will have widened his knowledge of the trade. In some cases, his status will be higher, and he will thus qualify for higher wages, and a senior position.

The administration of apprenticeship is in the hands of Apprenticeship Committees which consist of representatives of both employers and workers in the trade with which the committee deals. These committees are concerned with the training, progress and welfare of apprentices and meet regularly to carry out the duties laid on them by the Apprentices Act AH apprenticeship orders and contracts provide for a threemonths period of probation. During that time both employer and apprentice have the opportunity to find out whether or not the apprentice is suited to the trade he is entering. It is a time for careful watching of the apprentice’s progress so that the apprenticeship need not be continued if aU concerned are not satisfied. The period of probation is included as part of the apprenticeship term if the apprenticeship is confirmed. Apprentices’ wages are fixed proportionately to the award rate of wage for journeymen in each trade. UsuaHy, the apprentice’s rate commences for the first step at 32 per cent, of the journeyman s wage, and increases each 1000 hours (six months) by 5 per cent, rises to 77 per cent, in the final period.

At the moment, the average wage for an apprentice commences at about £4 4s 8d a week, and rises six-monthly at about 13s 4d a week until it reaches about £lO 3s 8d in the final period. Rates vary, of course, from trade In most trades the apprentice is entitled to the same tool allowance paid to journeymen, which must be spent on tools. Meal allowance is the same as for journeymen. Travelling allowance is on the same proportionate basis as wages. Where trade examinations are arranged by the Trades Certification Board, an extra payment is allowed to apprentices who pass the various sections. These payments vary from 2s 6d to 15s a week depending on the examination and the trade concerned.