COLLEGES CHALLENGED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22532, 24 September 1936, Page 12

COLLEGES CHALLENGED

TRAINING FOR INDUSTRY OPINIONS OF MINISTER [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Wednesday The ability of technical colleges to meet modern industrial conditions, and the value of the apprenticeship system, were challenged by the Minister of Education, tho Hon. P. Eraser, in an 1 address to the conference of the Technical Education Association. Mr. Eraser said that good as the colleges were, there 'was room for improvement, and tho Government was .out to help as much as possible, as it realised the importance of the work. There was a proposal which he had advocated that part of an apprentice's time should be devoted to training at a technical college for a day or two each week. Perhaps something even more drastic would be required. Personally he wondered whether the apprenticeship system were not archaic, and whether it had not already outlived its usefulness. Nobody could claim as satisfactory a system that kept a boy running messages for six months and made it possible for the worst type of employer to train a boy in a few months to do one or two things, and to keep him at that until his apprenticeship was almost over, Mr. Eraser added. In such cases a boy turned out inefficient, and his' opportunity of mak-ing-good was stultified. NEW SYSTEM RECOMMENDED IN PLACE OE APPRENTICESHIP [BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Wednesday A new system for training young people for industry, to replace or supplement apprenticeship as it was formerly organised, Mas recommended by tho Technical Education Association at its annual conference, which was continued in Wellington to-day. Tho executive yesterday drafted remits arising out of tho suggestions made by , tho Minister of Education; the Hon. P. Eraser. I A resolution passed to-dny was as follows:—"That tho organisation of technical colleges is suitable for tho development of trade education on a full-time trado basis, analogous to apprenticeship, but with adoquate provision for continued education on a broad basis. To enable nny scheme of instruction to operate successfully.:, it will bo necessary to alter the present industrial system to enable the recognition of such training by the Industrial Association, and tho acceptance *of accredited students by the trado. Control of tho instruction should bo completely in tho hands of tho educational authorities, but tho Ministry of Labour should assist by tho provision ofmodern equipment and additional material." There was support for a decision of the University of New Zealand to delete agriculture as a subject from its entrance examination syllabus. Mr. G. J. Park, principal of the Seddon Memorial Technical College, sponsored a remit that the University's deletion of agriculture was n stop that should not be .permitted by the Government. The remit was lost by lo votes to 9..