11

E.—s

left the day-school and have entered upon the practical work of life, whether as apprentices or as independent wage-earners or in the duties of the home; to prepare students for the efficient discharge of the duties of citizenship, and to increase their power and skill in breadwinning occupations." In the- opinion of those directly concerned with the working of such schools their aim should be the making of good citizens and the training of skilled artisans and workers, including in the latter term clerks and business assistants. It appears that, while the attitude of workers towards continuation schools is at present mainly one of indifference, the interest in them is growing, and (he younger men, at least, are beginning to see the advantages of technical training. A minority are always keen about it. Working-men's associations and trade unio ne few cases, arc moving in the matter, but the majority of them, like the workers, appear to be indifferent. One reason given for this indifference is that the increased efficiency of apprentices benefits employers more than workpeople. The attitude of employers is said to be encouraging, or at it adverse. The opinion is expressed that, while many of them are becoming more alive to the necessity for technical training for their employees, much more might be done in the direction of advising, if not compelling, the attendance of the latter at technical classes. Opinions on the question of compulsory attendance appear to be very diverse. State compulsion is generally objected to. tin- ((impulsion exercised by parents and employers being regarded as more justifiable. Other objections raised are the difficulty of enforcing attendance, the increased lost, and the strain on delicate pupils who have to work for a living. Among the suggestions offered are the raising of the compulsory age for the day-schools, as preferable to enforcing attendance at even-ing-schools, the shortening of the normal hours of daily work, and the following of the period of compulsory attendance immediately on the day-school course. Viewing the question from the standpoint of a young country, the resources of which have only JBSt begun to be exploited and whose industries are in the early stages of development, there seems to be no question as to the la-si way of compelling our young people to avail themselves of the advantages of technical training, and we are of the opinion that every form of compulsion should be exhausted before calling in the aid of legal enactments. Thai a large proportion of our employers of labour, also a fair proportion of the labour organizations, in this country are favourable to some form of technical i lion is beyond question : it would therefore seem that the time has arrived lor some concerted action to be taken by those interested in our more fully developed branches of industry. Enquiries made among upwards of two hundred companies and firms representing the chief trades and industries in England (including all the chief railway companies) show that a number of them are encouraging in various ways their employees to attend (lav and evening classes. The means adopted in, hide the following: (1) Apprentices are excused from part of the day work to enable them to attend day classes : (2) special technical schools arc provided by employers lor the l raining of their own workpeople; (3) part or the whole of the fees are paid by employers; (1) the cost of apparatus, books. &c.. is found by employers; (5) scholarships, bursaries. &c., are provided; (ti) special pnvisuch us admission to the drawing-office, are allowed in the case of decrying students ; (7) wages are increased, also opportunities for promotion. As regards " time off," in sonic cases one day or hall a day a week is allowed, in others the " sandwich " system is adopted, the winter months being spent at the schools and the summer months at the works. Other variations are excuse from overtime on the nighi of the class, and permission to leave work early or Io come to work kite on one day a week. In very few cases is compulsory attendance enforced; in some, attendance at approved courses is made a condition of continuous employment. The following extract from a report dealing with the co-operation of employers and technical instit ut ions in England shows what is being done in the matter in some of the large industrial centres : " B_a_OW-IN-FußN_Sß.—Messrs. Vicken, Sons, and Maxim co-operate in the education of appieu tnes with the Bill row-in-Kurness Technical School. All apprentices are advised to become students at the school. The inducements offered being leave to compete, under certain conditions, for entry into the drawing-Office, and, if a four-years course is taken and regularly attended, extra allowances for successes in the different subjects. Those who attend evening classes are allowed to begin work cure hour later in the mornings following classes for three days a week. Some 720 of the firm's apprentices attend at the technical school. " Bolton.—A certain number of apprentices attend the technical school two days a week and work three days a week in the mills. They all come from the ' Fine Spinners' Combine' and are all youths who have had a good secondary education. Their fees are paid by the company. A large number of textile and engineering firms in Bolton offer scholarships to their apprentices, tenable at evening classes m science and technology. The scholarship carries books with it for each subject taken up. Apprentices pay then own fees, but these are returned if they make 75 per cent, of the total possible attendances in each class. " lbit.viiNGHAM. —Afternoon courses for engineering apprentices are held at the Municipal Technical School. The classes are held for three hours on each of three afternoons a week. Admission to these ilasses is restricted to students actually engaged by engineering firms, and recommended for admission by their employers. " Bradford. —By arrangement with the firms composing the district branch of the Engineering Employer-' Federation, apprentices who have attended the three years day-college course are accepted by such firms to complete their workshop experience until twenty-one years of age, the time spent at the college being included as a part of their apprenticeship. A special course of instruction for apprentices in the shops of the same firms is provided. Arrangements have been made with the Bradford Technical College for apprentices to attend the college one half-day a week without loss of wages, the ices (£3 per session per student) being paid by the employers, who, in deserving cases, provide books and instruments as well. Apprentices are also required to attend on two evenings a week classes forming part of the course, the fees (10s. per session) being paid by the students, but remitted by the employers