APPRENTICE PROBLEM

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 47, 26 January 1937, Page 7

APPRENTICE PROBLEM

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS. TECHNICAL TRAINING. WELLINGTON, Jan. 26. “This is an honest attempt to handle the apprenticeship question, not for the good of the apprentice alone, but for the good of the country,” said Mr It. G. Ridling, director ot the Wellington Technical College, in presenting at last night’s meeting of the college board of governors a report on apprenticeship prepared at the request of the Minister of Education by a special committee of the Technical Education Association of New Zealand. At the technical education conference last September, Mr Ridling said, the Minister specially asked for a statement as to what could be done to assist the apprentice. The matter was referred to a sub-committee, and finally Mr W. S. La Trobe and himself had prepared a report which had been approved by the whole committee and had then been forwarded to the Minister.

The following Weaknesses in the present system or training are mentioned in the report: (1) The contract is between an apprentice and an employer irrespective of whether that employer is able to give adequate training to the apprentice engaged. (2) No regulation of the supply of apprentices is arranged for under the present system. In times of prosperity the numbers increase, in times of depression the numbers decrease. (3) During periods of trade activities subsequent to periods of depression there has always been a shortage of skilled labour because apprentices have not been trained during depression years.

(4) Complete training for apprentices cannot he given in many production works to-day and the keen compietition within the industry _ results in apprentice training being limited _ by operations which are profit hearing. The system of training depends entirely upon the earning of profits and is subjugated to that. (5) Apprenticeship committees may have been conceived wisely, but they do not operate as they can lie made to operate in the national interests. (6) Co-ordination of the work of the training done in technical schools and by industry has not received sufficient attention. “In general,” the report proceeded, “it is thought that the best results will accrue if boys and girls remain at suitable schools until they reach the age of sixteen years, and thereafter receive complementary training in technical schools in addition to their training as apprentices. It is further suggested that technical school training should as far as possible be confined to day work, and that some system of part-time school and part-time work should be adopted in all possible cases. The time off for day training in technical schools should not be less than one day weekly as in several European countries. For a boy of fifteen the time off should not be less than two days weekly in the first two years.” RECOMMENDATIONS LISTED. The report contained the following recommendations: (1) General registration of apprentices in designated trades. (2) Final certificates enabling the young tradesman to take employment as a fully trained and skilled work-

man. (3) Compulsory part-time day training in technical schools, in designated trades and districts. (4) Pre-vocational training of a suitable'character should be required. (5) Allowance by way of additional wages to apprentices with approved pre-vocational training completed to an approved standard between the ages of 14 and 16. . (6) Allowance by way of time toward apprenticeship for school vocational training after the age of 10 years. ~ , . (7) The period of apprenticeship should be variable according to the ability and initiative of the apprentice. . . (8) Limitation of apprentices, and fixing i/? numbers to be employed in any designated trade. (9) Provision for transfer of apprentices to technical or special trade schools; with maintenance, when employers are unable to train the numbers necessary to supply future requirements of trade. (10) Sandwich system to be adopted where conditions demand, e.g., exempted children going to any occupation under 15 years of age, to attend parttime at school. If exemptions allowed through necessitous circumstances of parents, cost of maintenance to be paid by employer and State jointly. As a means of implementing its recommendations the committee made the following suggestions: “A national apprenticeship committee should be appointed. Its business should be to follow the development in trade carefully and to control the supply of apprentices to the industry. 'Local advisory committees should be appointed. These should consist of employers and employees. “The Crown should be a contracting party in the apprenticeship contract so that responsibility for training the apprentice will lie between the employer and the Crown. If the employer is unable to give training that is satisfactory through abnormal times, then the responsibility of the Crown should be automatically increased, but safeguards will be necessary to prevent employers evading their responsibility. “There should be an extension of tne registration system and apprentices should he expected to reach a standard set by the trade itself. There should be ah educational pre-reqnisite before intending apprentices are accepted it should be possible to so organise the training given in schools and colleges that the majority of students are able fo cnmplv with the pre-requisite for all trades Regulations should be adopted to enable variation of the period of apprenticeship with the abilit.v of the apprentice provided that a minimum period is laid down Technical college training .should be compulsory to all apprentices. The course to be followed should he laid down uy each individual technical college on the advice of the local advisory committees and should he varied at their discretion. Day training of apprentices should »e introduced in specified trades and areas. n .