HOW TO GUIDE BOYS INTO WORK IS BIG PROBLEM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18684, 13 February 1929, Page 4

HOW TO GUIDE BOYS INTO WORK IS BIG PROBLEM.

NO SOLUTION YET REACHED LOCALLY.

With the object of attempting to solve the difficult problem of vocational guidance for boys leaving school, a further conference of representatives of organisations interested in the sub-‘ ject was held last evening under the auspices of the Labour Department. Mr R. T. Bailey, officer in charge of the Labour Department, presided, and the following delegates were present: Messrs F. R. Cooke (Trades and Labour Council), A. J. M’Eldownev (Rotary Club), A. C. Bretherton, W. Machin and T. N. Gibbs (Chamber of Commerce), J. W. Graham and W. C. Prime (Employers’ Association), G. M. Keys (Y.M.C.A.), J. Bowden (Teachers’ Institute), W. 11. Winsor (Education Board), F. Lill (Farmers’ Labour Bureau), J. D. Baybutt (Toe H) and J. W. Roberts and G. T. Thurston (Apprenticeship Committees). After discussing the subject for two hours the conference adjourned for three weeks to enable the representatives present to refer it back to their respective organisations for further consideration, before reaching any deci-

The chairman said that the resolutions passed at the first conference held on January 22 had been sent to the Secretary of Labour, who had forwarded copies to the Education Department and the Immigration Department. Mr F. W. Rowley, the Secretary of Labour, had written stating that he was quite prepared to have the work done through the Christchurch office of the Department of Labour, and was anxious that an advisory" committee should be set up.

In reply to Mr M’Eldownev, Mr Bailev said the setting up of a separate department had not been decided upon. Mr Roberts expressed the opinion that the movement was started before its time owing to the fact that the secondary industries did not afford many opportunities for boys. He considered that it was essential that the secondary industries should be built up so as to enable vocational guidance to be placed on a satisfactory footing. DOMINION LAGGING BEHIND. Mr Keys maintained that, instead of vocational guidance coming before its time, New Zealand was lagging behind in this respect. The fact remained that boys were leaving school and were being absorbed in the labour market, but there was no guidance for them in the choice of vocations. In his opinion, a special department should be set up to deal with the matter. Mr Machin said he took it that they were present to try to devise means of doing in an orderly and well-arranged fashion what had been done hitherto in a haphazard and somewhat painful fashion. It was a fact that the boys leaving schools were absorbed in the labour market, and they should., be helped. He suggested that parties of boys should be taken on tours of inspection of factories and business places. Mr M’Eldownev said that if the Labour Department was to take the matter up it should keep in close touch with the Education Department. THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Mr Graham said that employers did not require the assistance of any Government Department or Government official in selecting boys, but he recognised that there were many boys in need of assistance in choosing employment. He suggested that a speciallytrained member of the staff of each school should be entrusted w r ith the work of vocational guidance. He -was opposed to the creation of a new department or the extension of the work of the existing departments. Mr Keys said that the allocation of special members of the staffs of secondary schools to this work would certainly be a help, but it would be only a drop in the bucket. He thought that it would be a good plan if such an officer were appointed to assist parents and boys in the choice of the courses of training which the boys took up on entering the secondary schools. Mr Thurston asked Mr Keys what proportion of the boys he had placed had been found work in trades. 1 BLIND ALLEY JOBS. Mr Keys said that the openings in the trades had been small and he had placed only about six in these occupations. There were many boys who did not want to go into trades. Fie admitted that he had placed a number of boys in what could be termed blind alley occupations, but he was not done with those boys yet. Mr Bretherton protested against the tax on parents caused by the constant changes in school books. He considered that the position in this respect was a grave scandal. New Zealand was not a manufacturing country, but depended for its prosperity on its pastoral pursuits, therefore there should be greater opportunities for young men to go on the land. Mr Winsor said he was quite opposed to the setting up of a special branch of the Labour Department to deal with vocational guidance. SPECIAL TRAINING FOR TEACHERS. Mr Baybutt said that every school worth its salt was dealing with the question of vocational guidance to-day. That was his particular job as a master at St Andrew's College, but he had found a good deal of opposition among employers. The difficulty was to find jobs for the boys, but the schools were able to do good work in finding out the class of occupations the boys were suited for and to assist them along those lines. lie considered that it would not be a very difficult matter to give teachers special training along the lines of vocational guidance. Mr Bow-den said that he was interested in the question from the point of view of the boys who did not attend the secondary schools. In Christchurch about 500 boys left the primary schools each year, and only about 200 went to the secondary schools. lie wanted to know w’hat was going to happen to the other 300. Mr Prime moved:—“That until such time as conditions warrant the appointment pf a full time vocational officer, with the requisite special training, a suitable officer attached to a technical college should be appointed to act as director of a committee representative of both primary and secondary schools and of industry, both primary and secondary.” He said that the committee could make inquiries through the Labour Department as to the boys going out from the schools, both primary and secondary, each year. Mr Keys seconded the motion. As an amendment, Mr Graham moved:—“That the Education Department arrange for the appointment of a part time vocational officer at each secondary school.” He said there was nothing to prevent any primary school boy from attending the Technical School. Mr Winsor seconded the amendment. “ NOTHING PRACTICAL DONE.” Mr Roberts said that all that had been talked aba'J at the meeting was

an employment agency for boys. Nothing practical had been done along the lines of vocational guidance. Mr Thurston said he was opposed to both the motion and the amendment. He agreed with the remarks of Mr Roberts that the discussion had been more along the lines of establishing an employment bureau than a vocational guidance bureau. Ninety per cent of the boys were still looking for jobs, and the parents of some of them were also looking for jobs. Mr Gibbs urged the need for a comprehensive survey of the whole position. If boys were able to leave school during the year instead of at the end of the year, it would help to solve the problem. Both the amendment and the motion were lost. On the motion of Mr Bretherton, it was decided that the question should be referred back to the respective organisations represented, and to be discussed at a later meeting. Mr Graham gave notice of motion that the motion passed at the first conference, urging the establishment of a vocational guidance branch of either the Education or Labour Department, and that permanent advisory committees be established in each centre, be rescinded.