Higher Educational Level In Industry Advocated

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30267, 21 October 1963, Page 12

Higher Educational Level In Industry Advocated

(From Our Own Reporter)

HANMER SPRINGS, Oct. 20. Industry’s need, as distinct from that of the individual, was for personnel with higher educational standards, the president of the New Zealand Textile and Garment Manufacturers’ Federation (Mr L. H. Govan) said at its conference at Hanmer Springs. “From the negative aspect, automation and mechanised aids with their frightening productive capacity and lack of need of human hands have displaced millions of work people—mainly unskilled, but also many skilled. I have seen such equipment in our industry.” Europe and America were already attacking this problem of education and “reeducation,” said Mr Govan. A sound basic education gave a man a trained mind and produced a foundation on which he could build a second career if necessary. An educated man was never redundant, either to himself or society.

“The position we must strive to avoid is the current

position in the United States. There are 4|m unemployed, 3m of whom never went to high school. There are Vim jobs with no appropriate people to fill them. The reeducation programme is to train people without jobs to fill jobs without people.” New Zealand industry was not only expanding but was also becoming more mature," Mr Govan said. “While there would always be smallish private companies, many of them were now grouping together in large public companies.

“This opens the way to a tremendous range of executive opportunities for those who can aspire to this level. This executive class is important and powerful—its responsibilities are great and its rewards are high. “Industrial development demands not only investment in plant and buildings, but also in basic education and the technical training of our people. We must support our educators in this, their task.