Office-training course praised

Press, 1 May 1978, Page 13

Office-training course praised

The first course in office training for the unemployed which started at the Christchurch Technical Institute four weeks ago ended last week. Most of the 15 i students are more confident 1 now about finding a job. However, only two have ] jobs already and most of the others are waiting to hear the results of interviews. The subjects in the I course include sales orders, i sales tax, invoices, credit i notes, statements, dispatch ’ of goods, receipts, banking, < filing, stock taking, wages, ’ mail, and the use of office machines. ’ One student, Anne Burns, i aged 16, said the free, four- < week course would probably i help her more than the six < months she had spent at a i secretarial college. ; She preferred the way the i

course emphasised practical work. Most of the students were jobless school-leavers, aged 16 to 19. The one man on the course, Wayne Jensen, aged 20, had worked for five years as a storeman and packer but had been unemployed since leaving his last job two months ago. He enrolled in the course because it seemed to offer more chance of finding work and said he was looking forward to working in an office. “I have always wanted to do it.” A few students think they will still be at a disadvantage. Miss Bharty Ganda, aged 19, said employers were reluctant to engage office workers her age when they could employ younger girls at a lower wage.