WORTH A PREMIUM

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 72, 17 December 1938, Page 12

WORTH A PREMIUM

Technically Trained Students

MEETING COMPETITION IN INDUSTRY

'“lndustry must pay for inefficiency and because competition is keen and likely to be keener there must, before long, be recognition that technically trained students are worth a premium that will vary as their dexterity,” said the director of the Wellington Technical College, Mr. R. G. Ridling, in his annual report at the breakingup ceremony of the college last night. “This college has been asking for such recognition for more than 50 years, and we shall persist in the hope that it may be granted when the long-overdue reconstruction of the industrial system of training is undertaken.”

Referring to the short period of fulltime attendance of many of the high school pupils and their too early transfer to work and to part-time continued education, Mr. Ridling said that only 19 per cent, of the pupils had three or more years of full-time training, only 66 per cent, received two years or more, and 15 per cent, of pupils had left during their first year, on the figures from 1935 to 1938. Education Consciousness. ‘•Many parents and guardians are not blameless in this for there is not yet in New Zealand a common education consciousness,” Mr. Ridling said “Too many are content if their children can read and write and sum more or less indifferently. They /do not realize the profound influence on young folk of a longer varied education. Their vision is obscured by economic factors that are difficult to remove.

“During this year there has been some modification of this customary indifference and the growth of ouf parent teacher association is an indication of a change in outlook, and gives hope for the future. There is need for a clearer understanding of the benefits that are derived from a longer full-time day course in such a school as this —greater stability of character, a wider social outlook, a more temperate judgment arising from maturity of thought, and with these a well-ground-ed vocational aptitude and dexterity. These can be assured if only parents and guardians allow their children a longer period of training. There is need for the education of parents by greater publicity. ' Efficiency Value. “There is need also of recognition by commercial and industrial groups that the longer period of technical training has an efficiency value that should be rewarded,” Mr. Ridling said. “During the last two years some commercial houses have, because of the competition for boys and girls trained as stenographers or office juniors, been compelled to pay a premium for their labour above that given to the untrained worker.

“This is encouraging to parents and to students also, but the industrial groups have not yet accepted our contention that a boy who has been proved suitable in an industrial course, and who has a measure of tool control and of specialized industrial knowledge is worth more to them than the completely untrained youth, and in the trades there is neither reduction of the period of apprenticeship nor is there any monetary reward for that training:”