VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

Evening Star, Issue 20980, 19 December 1931, Page 11

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

(.Contributed.] In assessing the capabilities of a' boy and tho measure of his character the vocational guidance officer is assisted by information from various fields. Perhaps none is so valuable as that received from school .teachers, both primary and post-primary. Let it be considered the help they so readily give and it will be seen tho burden of tho service rendered by them. The Vocational Guidance Committee has issued an information card oil which is recorded personal particulars of each boy leaving school or college. The amount of detail work necessitated by this record is heavy, although much of the work can be done by tho boy himself. For instance, after tho particulars one would expect to find, such as name, address, age, and so on, he is asked for his father’s occupation. Then the boy is asked his physical characteristics, height, _ weight, even such details as tho wearing of glasses. Further, as if this were not enough, the boy is asked about his interests, his sports, and his hobbies, fo>’ these show the trend of his thoughts. His scholastic attainments are recorded on the card, the teacher writing down the pupil’s strong subjects, and, equally important, the weak subjects also. Thus there is guidance as to which occupations ho should choose and which he should avoid. Even with all these facts tho officer tannot fully measure up the boy, and so the record continues. One needs to know something of the boy’s temper, that is, his characteristics. What sort of a lad is be, is he timid, contented, resourceful, keen; has he a sense of humour, good manner, and appearance? All these, and more, are gathered from the report, so that, altogether, _ the committee is presented with a fairly complete measure of each boy. The experience in Dunedin is that employers are seeking the boy or girl who has developed by study and experience a natural ability. In this manner are secured juniors who will continue at that particular occupation because it is the one at which they will be both efficient and contented. Labour turnover is an exasperatingly wasteful business. That these premises are true is > evidenced by the increasing number of employers, who use the officers’ register when requiring boys or girls to train in their business. Young folk desiring guidance in vocational matters are advsed to call on the vocational guidance officer any Monday or Wednesday evening at his office in the Y.M.C.A. buildings.