VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

Evening Star, Issue 22689, 1 July 1937, Page 8

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

CIDER APPRENTICES PROBLEM PLACEMENT AND TRAINING OF CRIPPLES A meeting of the committee of the Dunedin Vocational Guidance Association was held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms last night, the president J. L. Salmond) being in the chair. RECORDS. Reporting on behalf of the Records Committee, Mr J. Robertson submitted details of the destination of 19116 primary school leavers. Altogether 320 boys and 319 girls were continuing at school, while those who had left the district numbered 161, the destination of three was unknown, and 39 had remained at home or were unemployed. At the end of 1936 the percentage of children continuing education was 75, as against 79.98 four years ago. In employment were 18.89 per cent., compared with 9.81 per cent, in 1933. The percentage of those at home or unemployed had decreased from 9.61 to 4.59 in the four years. The destinations of pupils who had left post-primary schools at the end of last year were as follows;—Continuing education, 188; in employment, 683; left the district or in ill-health, 34; at home or unemployed, 94. It was to be noted that in 1933 the number at home or unemployed represented a percentage of 24.31, reduced to 20.75 in 1934, to 17.83 in 1935, and to 9.29 in 1936. He stressed the point that these figures referred to the position at the beginning of this year. Probably all the children had been placed by now. The report was received. OLDER APPRENTICES, v Mr J. R. Fairbaim said that he had read in the Press that the Acting Minister of Labour had expressed concern at the non-engagement of apprentices of 18 years and over, and that he had stated he intended to call a conference of interested parties. Mr Fairbaim said he understood that the conference had been held, r but only Wellington persons had been invited, Perhaps Mr Conly could give some information on the matter. Mr Conly said that all he knew of the conference was what he had read in the Press. Mr T. A. White, placement officer of the Department of Labour, explained that the department had just finished preparing information regarding apprentices between the ages of 18 and 25 years. The information collected concerned the young men throughout the country. This was to bo submitted to a second conference. The first meeting was a local one, and was only a preliminary. SHORTHAND-TYPISTES SCARCE. Tho association’s officer (Mr T. Conly) reported as follows: “ A noticeable feature of the last month’s work has been the absence of secondary school pupils seeking work. A few engineering pupils want apprenticeship, but even these boys are too particular in their choices. Evidently those now in secondary schools are going to complete this year before going to work. Another very noticeable and good feature is tho increasing wariness of young people to enter employment with those firms with a reputation for short-term employments. The shortage of competent shorthaudtypistes continues, and the number of incompetent ones seeking work serves to emphasise that no girl should go to work at this calling until thoroughly trained. While a demand for office boys of 15 and 16 years of ago continues, we find it very difficult to place office juniors of 18 years at 32s 6d. There has been a slackening of work in certain branches of the metal trades, and our experience is that few apprentices are being engaged in the engineering industry, but rather that too many boys are now taken on and paid off later. Parents seem wilfully blind to the harm they are doing their sons by offering such short-term jobs.” Mental testing for vocational guidance continued at the University laboratory, and this was proving a most important preliminary in the too few cases Mr Glasgow could treat in the time available. The association was indebted for the _ assistance freely given. It was interesting to note the number of boys found having colour defective eyesight. During the month the association’s officer was invited to assist the Crippled Children’s Association in providing educational facilities for children crippled in the recent infantile paralysis epidemic. A start was made with six _ young people —three girls being trained as shorthand-typistes, one boy was being prepared for matriculation, and two others would receive special tuition for prospective employment. Housemaids for private homes and institutions were unobtainable, so far as the association was concerned. Placements in employment continued much the same as in previous months. The number of girls could have been doubled had there been candidates for vacancies. More country boys were being brought into town .to fill vacancies for which they -were suitable and where town boarding facilities .could be arranged. _ The Chairman added that the association was working in conjunction with the Crippled Children’s Association. Members of the executive attended the Hospital the other day and saw the children, who had been admitted suffering from infantile paralysis, in the swimming pool. They were happy and quite healthy mentally, and, for that matter, physically, except for some form of defective limb. Tho problem was to find employment for these cripples. Unless they were specially qualified employers would not employ them. Tho Crippled Children’s Association had authorised a grant from its fund for the placement and training of the cripples. He said that perhaps some scheme for the subsidising of the wages of some of these unfortunate persons might be evolved by the Government. The report was received. CHOOSING A VOCATION. On the principles of vocational guidance, Mr P. G. M'Millan delivered a short address. As he had had little experience in the work his remarks would be theoretical, said tho lecturer. Tho choice of a career was one of the most important decisions one made in a lifetime, yet the haphazard manner in which some dropped into positions was remarkable. Often some continued for a number of years in occupations that were quite foreign to their natural abilities, resulting in unhappiness for the workers. An unfortunate choice of employment often led to discontent and unrest, but vocational guidance was designed to place young people in occupations for which they were eminently suited. It was now possible by means of carefully devised tests to gain a more accurate estimate of the capabilities of the young peonle than by mere observation. What did voeation.il guidance bu|ie to achieve? It aimed to

decrease industrial fatigue in everyday work, to reduce labour turn-over, to increase production, and to reduce industrial accidents. The problem of vocational guidance was to steer persons into the vocations that suited them, and the problem must be handled by means of a series of tests, which the speaker tabulated as follow: —General intelligence, performance, special senses, interests, temperament, and psychology. It would be necessary to have a record of information throughout the life of each child. He suggested that a school adviser might be appointed to carry out the tests, but the choice of a vocation should not be left to him alone, as he would bo unable to go far without the assistance of the juvenile employment officer. The results of vocational guidance could be summed up in the following manner: —There would be fewer persons in work who would be unlikely to be successful, there would be fewer dismissals, and there would be more contcntodncss among workers. Mr M'Mullan was accorded a vote of thanks for bis address.