CHOICE OF A CAREER

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 208, 29 May 1940, Page 3

CHOICE OF A CAREER

Vocational Guidance WORK AT WELLINGTON COLLEGE “The work of organized vocational guidance within the college is becoming mature enough to form some judgment as to its usefulness, and it can he said that it is achieving worthwhile results in the majority of cases where boys and parents take advantage of it in their deliberations about the future,” said Mr. L. It. Palmer, M.A., Dip..!., careers master at Wellington College, in his second annual report, read at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Colleges Board. "It is true that some boys at Wellington College, specially those boys who leave early, do not take much trouble to discuss their future; neither do their parents. These young lads hear of a job and hasten to take it whatever it may be and their parents often concur. “Some of these can be expected to be among the occupational misfits of the future; that is unfortunate, but there can be nothing mandatory about vocational advice. However, the majority of Wellington College boys consider all the angles carefully before taking a position and get all the advice available, with the result that there is evidence that boys are making a more rational choice of occupation than many have made in the ■past. Moreover, one of the valuable by-products of such guidance has been that it has brought school, boy and parent into closer touch, so that we are able to appreciate one another’s viewpoint better than formerly.” Tine work during the year had divided itself into two main parts: (1) The placing of school leavers in suitable positions; (2) the advising of boys still at college as to prospective careers, educational requirements necessary for them and their particular suitability for such occupations. Placing Boys in Employment. “During 1939,” the report ■ continued, “no difficulty was experienced in finding employment for boys. Indeed, the supply was not nearly equal to the demand. This was true before the outbreak of war, and since then the position has been accentuated. Boys with university entrance (matriculation) specially, have been at a premium, and there has been in some instances keen competition for their services, particularly as the Public Service has been making at special bid for this class of boy during the past two years. But, as far as we know, there is no unemployment among those 232 boys who left us during or at the end of 1939, except for one or two who are ill and those transferring to other schools. “Attractive positions are still being offered, but boys who have returned to school in 1940 seem, for the most part, to have made up their minds to stay for the whole year, particularly those who are seeking examination qualifications. From the college’s and the boys’ point of view, this completing of the year is most satisfactory and, other things being equal, we advise it rather than the taking of a position during the year. “Viewing the question of youth employment as a whole, experience in career work does seem to support the contention of the employers’ organizations and the evidence of the “Situations Vacant” columns in the daily newspapers, that vyhatever the position in the adult market, there is and has been a definite and continued shortage of youth labour. This must be a big obstacle in the way of future industrial expansion on any large scale and the serious part of it is that it is likely to get worse, not better. “Shortage of boy labour is not only the product of the war, because it was there before that. The evidence points to the conclusion that New Zealand has not got the youth population to supply its industrial needs; nor is it coming along. Evidence of this is afforded in the rolls of many post-prim-ary schools and also in the official returns of the numbers of primary school children of certain ages. As examples of such evidence consider the following two significant official statements: (1) In 1936 (census year), there were 22,100 fewer children under 10 in New Zealand than there were in 1926. (2) In about 15 years’ time there will be more than 20,000 fewer persons aged 20-24 than there were of those ages in 1936. "Of course, the question is intimately bound up with the problem of New Zealand’s population, which’ u going to thrust its bead to the front as New Zealand’s No. 1 problem once the war is over. * Advising Boys. > “Many boys who are still at school (together with their parents) have sought advice about their future careers. They are undoubtedly wise in doing this a good time before taking up a career because investigation and consideration often put first impressions out of count. The fruits of such advice cannot yet be measured, but it is very satisfying from my point of view to find boys already guided into certain occupations which they had never thought of before and where (so far) they are doing well. Actuarial work, industrial chemistry, and forestry are three examples taken at random of such occultations where this has happened within the last year with Wellington College boys.” A table of occultations of those leaving the college in 1939—83 during the year and ’149 at the end- was included in Mr. Palmer’s report. The principal occupations, with the 1938 figures in parentheses, were as follows: —University, full time. 15 (25); training college and teaching. 5 (3) : farming and farm training, 13 (St: clerical work. 51 (SI): Public Service, 32 (18); banks. 15 (><), insurance, 9 (7) : accountancy, 10 (3t ; shipping offices. 5 (51; Air Force, 3 (2): Hallways Department, 5 (2) ; Post and Telegraph Department, 5 (2); trades and factories, 17 (6). “Analysis of the figures shows that the majority of boys who leave Wellington College enter either the professional or commercial occupations." the report continued. “A relatively small percentage go into the trades, though there has been increased interest in factory work this last year Of course, it is one of the chief functions of a technical college to supply the trades with recruit's, but more boys would go from schools like Wellington College if they were not called on to sacrifice their general education by being forced to leave school at an early age to enter a particular trade.’’