Vocational Guidance

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30936, 17 December 1965, Page 16

Vocational Guidance

Sir, —On reading your editorial and subsequent letters on vocational guidance I thought in terms of the loss of five or six trained specialist officers from one centre in, say, five years as serious enough, but “Grandparent No 2” ha" written of 14 defections from one centre, and one wonders in which part of New Zealand this could be. Fourteen well-qualified officers in “recent years" is a serious state of affairs, and warrants investigtaion. Would the Christchurch district officer enlighten readers on the following points: (a) How many professional officers have left the Christchurch vocational guidance centre In the last five years? (b) How many of these were fully qualified and fully, trained in vocational guidance work? (c) What In his opinion were the reasons behind these resignations? (d) What would be his remedy? The service is becoming increasingly valuable, and I understand the work to be both. interesting and satisfying; so surely those who have resigned have not done so merely for higher salary?—Yours, etc.. PARENT. December 7. 1965. [The district vocational guidance officer (Mr W. J Boyd) says: “1 can speak only for the time since I took up

my appointment as district vocational guidance officer some three years ago. An allround » haa been provided to ecbools and the public. The daily pnw has given generous space to apodal courses conducted for country children and careen advisers. We continue to have more work than ever before. A local office such ax this does not keep complete personal records but to my knowledge staff change has been caused by such factors as retirement, promotion, change of occupational interest personal considerations, and better prospects with a different employer -such as in teaching, where the general prospects and salaries are very good.**)