Apprenticeship Courses System Changing

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 16

Apprenticeship Courses System Changing

A tendency had developed for industries to change from day-release classes for their apprentices to the blockcourse system, in which apprentices gained their technical education in three weeks, or two lots of two weeks a year, the district commissioner of apprenticeship (Mr V. E. Thomas) said yesterday.

“The employers seem to think that the block-course system is much better than having the boy away one day a week, not knowing whether he’s at work or where,” said Mr Thomas. “They think it is better to get the theory training done that way rather than having the boy messing around a day a week. The continuity of training is achieved by the boy doing regular evening study.” For the year ending March 31, 817 new apprenticeship contracts were entered into in his district, representing an increase of 1895 on the figures for the previous year. The increase was about 28 per cent, Mr Thomas said. He said Christchurch had 24 apprenticeship committees. Some of these also covered areas of Ashburton, Timaru, and the West Coast. Ashburton had one committee of its own, Timaru had six com-

mittees, and the West Coast had two. The Christchurch committees met 80 times last year, said Mr Thomas.

Meat Retail Trade Some committees in outlying districts covered a combination of trades, such as one committee in Greymouth, which covered. five industries. One new committee being formed in Christchurch dealt with the retail meat trade. “This is one of the few retail industries in New Zealand covered by apprenticeship,” he said. In the last school year, 411 apprentices attended day classes in Christchurch, 1084 attended block courses at Christchurch Technical College, and 623 attended evening classes at the college. Throughout New Zealand, there were 4194 apprentices taking courses at the Technical Correspondence Institute, Wellington, instead of evening classes. Mr Thomas said that committees were making great use of their powers on the question of discipline of apprentices. It was preferable to use disciplinary powers than taking breach actions against apprentices through the courses.