TRAINING ARCHITECTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2632, 1 December 1915, Page 3

TRAINING ARCHITECTS

TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOR GROUNDWORK. The New Zealand^lnstitute of Architects lias been making inquiry as to a special course of training at tho Technical College for architectural Btudeuts under, tho in. a way, of the institute, which is a contributor to the funds of that institution. After setting out the instruction at present given/ Mr. W. S. La Trobo has written to tho institute as follows:— "As regards the probable demand for instruction I am informed that tho number of students is not large, and that they belong to .-all years, and that it would therefore be impossible to provide special classes for these students ia their several years except at a' very cost per student. I submit, however, that we can do the work quite economically by including such students in our ordinary classes, each student entering the grade in which he -is most likely to make ' satisfactory 1 progress. This applies, of course, only to subjects in which there is class instruction. In most of the subjects the instruction is individual. I may mention that the total salaries which we pay the instructors who take the classes mentioned in the attached schedule is over £2700 per annum, without allowing for establishment charges of any kind. Objection has been raised to the inclusion of outside students in courses or for. the training of institute students, on the ground that such outside students might feel aggrieved at not being able to; practise as architects after taking possibly the whole course taken by institute students. I do not think that the objection is fundamentally sound. All our trade and professional classes are open classes since only such classes can be recognised by the Education Department. Yet we have never any difficulty in the matter of granting our professional or trade certificates to those who have a, thorough - "practical" 1 :(i.e., workshops or office) training in addition to their technical college training. "It. is recognised by the college that technical education and professional or trade experience are_ mutually complementary, and that neither in itself alone can be substituted for the other. It is our custom, for example, in the, engineering trade," to issue annual certificates to professional pupils and apprentices, which are signed by the employer as well, as by the college authorities. Such certificates pos-sess a double value, and can obviously -be issued only to those in the trade or profession. Not only so, but our'final certificates also are issued only to those .who pass our filial examinations', and also present evidence from t.lieir employers of having served a satisfactory apprenticeship or pupilage. . / "It lias been a fixed policy ■of this board since its inception' in • 1902 not merely, to avoid the degradation of a profession or trade'by manufacturing half-trained workers itself, but further to raise'the. status of the. trade as far as possible to such a level-that every worker shall have not only trade training and experience, but in addition a scund knowledge of the sciences connected with his trade. .The board has been not unsuccessful in its efforts in certain trades,' thanks largely to tho hearty. co-operation of local -authorities. In,conclusion, I trust- that your institute will see its-'way clear ; to co-oper-ate with this' board in the _ matter of the technical training of architectural students." -

Mr. La Trobe's memorandum, will be considered by the Council of the Institute this mornins