Duke's Message Opening Technical Training Week

Press, Volume C, Issue 29525, 29 May 1961, Page 12

Duke's Message Opening Technical Training Week

“The great difference between this age and any other period in history is the enormous use of machines and mechanical devices for all purposes,” says the Duke of Edinburgh in a message to mark the beginning of Commonwealth technical training week. “Industry uses machines for mass production, commerce has its calculating machines, agriculture uses combine harvesters and milking machines: aircraft, railways, and ships are machines of transport, telephones and radio are part of the mechanical system of communications. and the home has been invaded by a whole array of washing machines and refrigerators, television sets, and vacuum cleaners.” the Duke says. None of this happened by chance. Every new idea or new development was the result of someone using his imagination and technical knowledge. Every device for human convenience and comfort, from a nuclear power station to a sewing machine, had to be devised, designed and built by people with specialist technical knowledge. “Even if we could cry a halt to all new developments, it would still require an immense corps of technicallytrained people to maintain the industrial complex of the developed countries as it stands today.” the message continues, "while the less developed countries would still have to make a prodigious effort to bring even a reasonable number of the benefits of the machine age to their people Rate Increasing

"Tn fact, of course, the situation is that even after about 200 years of progress in mechanical devices, the actual rate of development is still increasing. Scientific discovery and invention, far from losing momentum, are producing new materials, new ideas and new techniques faster than ever. “As a result of this tremendous technical expansion, the scope and variety of jobs open to all standards of manual skills, intellectual accomplishments and managerial abilities are also growing at the same rate. “The only trouble is that it makes choosing a job or a career very much more comolicated,” the Duke continues. “There is so much to choose from, and in addition there is the very real temptation of immediate and relatively highly paid unskilled jobs, even though they don’t have very good prospects. All the best jobs need some kind of technical training. “I believe, therefore. that it is one of the responsibilities of parents, teachers and emolovers to helo those who are on the threshold of their

working lives by displaying for them the wide field of employment possibilities and the qualifications needed so that they can choose a career which gives full scope to their aptitudes. They must also be made aware of the opportunities that exist fir further education and traintog and the very considerable improvement in their future prospects which will result if they make proper use of the facilities available.

“At the same time, I am sure it is important to make it clear that whatever job or career is chosen, it is more than just a means of making a living. All forms of work are part of a cooperative effort by the community to improve the general standard of life for all its members. This means that it is just as valuable to the community as it is to the individual that people should find jobs which make the best use of their qualities and aptitudes and, if possible, to give them pleasure as well.

“The Commonwealth technical training week is intended to draw attention to all these points as well as to stimulate an awareness in all people of the real value of proper and continuing technical training to the individual. to the industry which employs him. and to the community as a whole "The week may soon be forgotten, but I hope very much that the things which it has tried to bring before the public will li ■ on," the Duke’s message concludes.