AFTER SCHOOL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 140, 15 June 1928, Page 10

AFTER SCHOOL

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE ADDRESS BY MR. HOWELL PBOBLEM OF YOUTH .- "The subject of vocational guidance li.'is only during the last year or two received any serious attention in New, Zealand, where, in the past, young penplo have found little difficulty' in obtaining employment," said Mr. J. 11. | Howell, director of tho Wellington Technical College, in a paper which ho read last evening to the Association for the Advancement of Education: Ho went on to point out that with the developments and changes that have taken place so rapidly since the war and the growing menace of unemployment, the question as to hoiv the boy leaving school may be beat helped to find the job for which he is fitted has , become more pressing. Both the Lab-j our Department and the Education Department have taken some steps in the j matter, but there has been no organised co-operation between teachers on the one hand and employers on the other. Yet this is essential to effective action. Mr. Howell detailed what had been done in. older, countries, giving an account of the early efforts of the Edinburgh School Board and of tho Boston Vocation Bureau. The essential point of- the latter scheme is the appointment of vocational counsellors, one or more for each public school. "The counsellors endeavour to advise those who are leaving their school as to tticir future career, and parents freely wjiisult with counsellors both as regards tho continued education of the child after the primary school as well as concjj;ning the question of employment. Talks dealing with occupations are given from time to time in the senior classes, •where pupils are already beginning to take an interest in their future calling. In Boston, so much importance is attached to the work of the counsellor that in some schools at any rate counsellors are largely set free from teaching duties in order to give their time to this work. "One thing is recognised everywhere as being the first essential to the success of any scheme for vocational guidance; that is, the active co-operation of employers and business associations," continued Mr.' Howell. "From tho outset the employers hays co-operated both in Boston and in Edinburgh. In the latter city the School Board is .assisted by an advisory council of- ICO members, comprising representatives of public bodies, employers, trade societies, and educationists, whose duty it is to give the School Board advice on all mutters connected with tho education required for the various trades and occupations of the city, and sn the conditions of employment." NEW ZEALAND'S EFFORT. Dealing with what' lias been accomplished in New Zealand, Mr. Howell said: — "In New Zealand tho only public effort that has been wade in tho direction of vocational guidance is the issue by the Education Department at the end of 1927 of a pamphlet giving valuable information on the facilities for post primary education, and the careers open to boys on. leaving school. This publication was prepared, with much skill and evidently a great deal of labour, and it has won approval from all who are concerned with tho employment of young people. Suggestions have been made for extending its usefulness by , including information regarding: (1) Banking, insurance, and shipping; (2) agriculture and pastoral occupations; (3) manufacturing industries; (4) fishing, mining, etc., and (5) occupations for women. It is clear that tho inquiry ought t. be extended to cover all those occupations which are important in our commercial "'or industrial life. "It is open to question whether it might not have been less .costly and more effective ifthjo pamphlet had been divided up into a number of smaller pamphlets and distributed or sold at a small charge to parents seeking guidance. Parents, for example, have generally some idea what they propose to do with the child on completing the primary school eoursc—whether to send the child to a post primary school, or into commerce,, tho building trade, engineering trade, «tc, and if tho pamphlet wore subdivided and sold in separate leaflets parents could bo 'supplied with just that information whicji they require and no more. As I have shown this has been the practice adopted in other countries. . "It is clear that the effort to prevent misfits in industry must go further in. Now Zealand. In view of the great developments that have taken place in recent years in industry and commerce and the serious difficulty that is now found in placing young people in occupations suited to their inclination and training, our efforts in vocational guidance should bo greatly extended. To do this effectively, tho schools on tho onie hand and tho employers on Ihc oilier must be brought into close relationship." THE WORK OF THE SCHOOLS. In the schools, Mr. Howell pointed' out, it will be noccssary for teachers to make :i much closer study of the aptitude of their pupils and not to be satisfied witli a record of marks obtained in subject examinations. As far as employment is concerned, information with regard to subjects merely is either too vague or is not required. It is a measure of attainments that is wanted. Further, some OBtimnto of character as based on conduct should be furnished, seeing that, however high the attainments of a. person may bo, if a sound character is lacking his attainments arc greatly discounted. If Hie pupil proceeds to a post primary school his development should be closely watched with a view to ascertaining his capacity in the several directions, so th-at when tho time comes for tho pupil to leave school whether primary or socondary the data will be available for determining what kind of career ho is best adapted to and what are his prospects of success. , CRUX OF THE PROBLEM. "The .next question that has to be faced is tho problem of bringing together the young person seeking a job and the employer seeking an employee. This is the crux of tho problem, and unless it is faced and properly handled little will result from whatever else may be dono. It cannot bo dealt with by the organisations that are already in existence—l mean the Teachers' Associations an the one hand and the Employers' Associations on the 'other. Some means must bo found for bringing teachers and employers into close co-operation. How is this to bo done1? "It seems to mo' that it will bo necessary at tho outset to appoint a special organiser whose business it shall bo to act as a liaison officer between employers and teachers. Seeing that tho Labour Department has already a great deal of machinery in existence for dealing with problems of employment, it would seem that an officer of that Department might well be the best available to fill this important position. When this is done the next step will bo1 to secure the sympathy and co-op-eration of: both teachers and employers, and, though no doubt in detail the j j scheme mjust adapt itself to Kew Zca-1

land conditions, it will stand die best chance of success if in. broad outline it is modelled upon schemes that have proved successful elsewhere. "The question of fundamental importance, however, is this: Arc there teachers in our schools both willing and able to give the time and care necessary for a study of the problem and for furnishing reliable data as to the attainments and aptitudes of pupils leaving school'? Will the prcsuit stalling system allow this to be done? If these, questions can be answered in the aflirmativo, I would suggest (lint a. conference, of representatives of our larger schools be called together to consider the whole question and possibly to confer later with representatives of the Rotary Club, -who have already shown t.hemsclvns lo bo keenly interested in boy welfare."