Baking Industry Needs Apprentices

Chronicle (Levin), 7 May 1949, Page 6

Baking Industry Needs Apprentices

AUCKLAND, May 6. "The baking industry needs appreni tices and means must be found to attract them to the trade," said Mr. J. A. Connon, president of the New Zealand Federation of Bakers and Pastrycooks, at the annual conferenee. The matter was made more urgent, continued Mr. Connon, by the fact that many of the men now engaged in the industry where reaching the age at which they should retire. Mr. A.' E. Brownlie said that aithough instruction in engineering, plumbing and woodworking was given in secondary sehools he felt that courses in food processing could with advantage be included in ihe curriculum. In this way the interest of suitable boys could be aroused in the baking trade by the time they left school. Mr. M. T. Bell said he felt that the Apprentieeship Committee would be sympathetic towards the suggestion. Mr. T. O. Bonifaee instanced .the work done by the William Angliss School in Melbourne in training boys along the lines suggested. .He aisc mentioned the possibility of a course being held at Massey College. Members of the baking industry would have to see that they did noi lose likely apprentices through letting them riBmain too long on uninteresting work, said Mr. G. R. Harker. It would give a boy far more incentive in the early days of his employment in the trade if he took a greater share in the actuai preparation of goods and ha*l the pride of seeing on sale gods he had helped to make. The loliowing resolution was passed: "So us to arouse the interest of boys and girls with a view to their ultiiri'ate employment in the food processing trade the conferenee recommends to the Apprentieeship Committee that it ask the education authorities to incorporatt, in the eurriculum of sehools the teaching of such subjects. "