WHY NOT A COLLEGE FOR EX-SERVICEMEN?

Chronicle (Levin), 4 May 1946, Page 7

WHY NOT A COLLEGE FOR EX-SERVICEMEN?

■ ♦ ^ Despite all that has been said to. the coutrary, botli omciaily* . anrl uuoidcialiy, provisions in ihia cpuuiry lor the re-establishment of d||abletl exsefvicemen and' the general 'TcluvbilitaLion oi retumed memuers*p^:tne;arliiod rorces are ■ surprismgly .Qx^ii;s.vve.. 4?lio nuiuoer. &£' men who . alreaii|y % kaVd' a particular trade of profe'sMon, vspbielciiiics learned since tneir/.dis^h'argo^ is proof of the work oi the.^ Ttehabilitaiien Board and .its. agents. since the hrsl mah came baok frQiUi.kerviee some years ago, writes VV.J5.JVP1.7'. i'ft an Auckland excliange. ■ ' , Oeiitres have been establiglicd to tiain disabied men in tratlek suited to iiieir new pliysical niake-upj. and after .vary$iig courscs the- nien . Tiave .gbne out «.n tfieir *6wn, either -;tp;%^pc for an employer, of to f c nd f of - thmselvj.s> in' tlieir owit businesses. With all this, maiiy of the men have ibund, to tlieir cost, that altlidugh they have qualified in tlieir part'ieul'ai; ealltng, they haven't the backgroufl^- for maintaining tlieir business, and attfacting new trade. They lack the elemeutar\ knowledge, say, of window;; dressiyg*. psychological business approach to cusioniers, or eveir siuiple 'book-keep-mg. Of equal importauce in these days i.s the business acumen that- goes "with an extensive knowledge oi the trade. New owners of smali businesses must "sell themselves" to their customers to establish a circle of reg'ular patrons. At the present time there are uo extensive facilities for ex-servicemen to gair. this much ueeded knowledge. vVl.ut better means could be provided ths.n the establishment of an ex-service-men 's college? There would be no , need for an elaboruto building, council . wul staff such as go with- the normal' college. Nor would there be any need for the c-lasses to be lield in tlie day. time. In fact, tlie nien would much P'-ofei f aitend classes in the evenings, whe.'L they are no.t engaged in' their work. All the accommodation • ueeded would be a few rooms somewhere in the city where the men could J gather for a few niglits eaeh week •Where will the lecturcrs be t'oiind? Surcly there are a number of business men in the city who would be only too . pleased to lend their scrvices for a niglit or two to hclp the returned men.. to a better understanding of business niethods. licturned men who have succeeded in any particular line could give their less i'ortunate fcllows an insiglit into the various diiticultios which obstructed their early progress and the methods which they used to surmount the. problems. * The "students" could take n.otcs at their own discret ion, and apply tlie solutions which apply to their own particular troublcs. These inatters are sonietimgs a little too intricate and persoiml to be solved by a (lovcrnment Departniciit. In tlie ex-serviceiucn 's college, conta'ct with nien wlio had experienced ' tlie trving lieadaehes of gciting a business under . wav would answer tlie neet!. In other words, tlie collpge wouldi be run by the men for themselves. .'The expenses U'diild' not lie grcat, a'Ad ' a siiiall noiniiial fec from eaeli meinber nttcnding the classes would cover any costs involvod. At tlie cml of a t orui .therp could, be •simplc orui and Avwitton*e^anii:nations, set by the voluiitary '-iitkiructpfs, to cnable the men to find qpt for themselves cxactly how mpcli 'Ibenqfit they have derived from the lce-tures. On the completion of a f*cbu.rse," they eould reccive a diploina or cerlificate to show that they had takou advantage of the opportunily to better their business standing. , • A plan such as tlvis is not designed to make every man a futurc executive. Tt would be W-nselcss to presume that every man will at some timo in liis career become a captain of industry. That would be as fntile as attcmpting to establish an armv with every man a eolonel. However, the higlier a man's business efficicncy and trade skill, the more bencfit he is to society anrl to liimsolf. Tf a man can satisfy himself that hc is attainwig a higlier standard in liis own work, then he is showing the true results' of personal reliabilitation.