APPRENTICES

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 16, 19 January 1924, Page 8

APPRENTICES

A START WITH THE

REGISTER

A LEAFLET TO YOUTH

,WHAT THE LABOUR DEPART- •- MENT IS DOING. , '

The Department, of Labour has prepared a four-page leaflet to be handed to boys..': leaving ;■ school, setting > out in interesting and understandable form the main points of the apprenticeship legis-. Nation,'.'.'which, comes into force on Ist ; 'AprilJ'a's'a, guide to those who /wish to ] take up' One trade or another. Tl^e Department is already receiving ■applications in accordance with the projvisions of tjie Apprenticeship Act relating to the register of apprentices and ,-• .vacancies, and the establishment of juvenile, employment bureaux, twentythree names having been placed upon -the Wellington list up to yesterday afternoon. These; twenty^three applicants are divided up as follow :—Car-. penier'ih'g 5, bookbinding 2, compositors1 2, electrical engineering ,5, mechanical ! engineering- 2. marine^ engineering 1, plumbing 1,. .plastering 2, printing 1, signwriting 2.', „;.',-%...,■,..,,., ... Tie officer-' in charge o,f; the Welling- ' ton. Office, Mr. :R. T. Bailey, states that tne^Department is anxioui that employers should immediately signify -their requirements that boys leaving school may be placed in suitable positions without ■'• undue delay. HISTORY OF APPRENTICESHIP. \ Apprenticeship, states i the Depart.ment in its leaflet to boys, is the. oldest iorm of systematic vocational training, .and ,may be..traced ,te the .European ."(guilds of master craftsmen "of the Middle Ages: The guilds appreciated to the full the value of vocational training, and; they established and evolved a sys.tem which was of the greatest industrial v and .social importance... -It eventually ;.;. (covered. almost 'the whole of the indus- " '[trial field, and practically assured to 'the .apprentice a lifetime of profitable ■ ,>vork' as a skilled workman. Tradesmen in medieval, towns were both 'artisans and merchants, each conducting''his.,'own. manufactory and offe'r,ing;lns goods for sale. Within each town /those'who belonged to a particular trade tfonnetLa, union or guild to protect their ' :loca.l .interests, and in time the influence ■of the gnilds increased until they were .. 'able to-enforce minute regulations as to ■ .ithe way in which the trades were to be teamed, on, fixing the. daily hours of labour, tb» time-;to be spent in learing the trades, and the number of apprentices allowed for each master craftsman. Apprenticeship constituted the chief means jof advancement for the medieval jroutti; only through its training was it possible, for the boy to grow into the man. Fortunate, therefore, were Lthose chosen to serve with and learn from the master'craftsmen of the time; ■many were debarred through lack of capacity to develop the requisite skill, and. .the, guilds saw to it that the different trades were' not overmanned. The .■way was thus open to comparatively •Sew. As. a result the apprenticeship system vasrof 'benefit to the: few, and the '/ many were left to get along as best they could.. . . : While a.young man was learning his trade^he ;lived.in the home of the "master wiorkman ", as an apprentice. The ■' 'term of apprenticeship, was from five ■to_ nine years, and the apprentice re:.ceive<J,,np,financiaJ. remuneration, and in imany/, cases even paid a high premium. The end of the guild system came : with_JLoe ..introduction of power-driven-machinery and factories, wherein owner was ; enabled to employ a large number of workmen and to himself engage, in ithe^ management rather than in person;ally working at his trade. This develop iment definitely? marked the beginning of our modern industrial system of capital and labour, and with the advent of capitalistic.. methods. in industry and the introduction _of large scale production ithe apprentice-system lost its original : character. During" the past century labour''unions have-attempted, though with little success,-- to: take-up the work of the (guilds in the regulation of trade education. The1 two main objects of the guild regulations—the complete education •of ..the apprentice and the protection of the labour market—have not been attain- ■ able.*1--"-' ';"■■ : '■.'.. ' -"..DEAD END" EMPLOYMENT. • There/ has of late years been an unwillingness on the p.art of parents generally.' to send their boys' to learn skilled manual' occupations, continues the leaf- . ■ let.', The', wages immediately offered to strong" boys in what are called "blind alley "or "dead" end " occupations, together with the.:reluctance to undergo. " a pduiod. of several years' training, have induced parents, arid boys to accept those employments for the immediate adyan- ,. .tage' they offer. This is specially noticeable in -regard to young people between the ages" of-thirteen and eighteen, who drift, into occupations in which no system of apprenticeship exists, and which .dp not call for any long period of trairt-,-ing. ■ ■ ■ ' . ' - The evil of " dead end !" employment ;is that, while-it may; immediately afford '.high 'wages 'without involving any ties, ,it often:leaves a boy-unequipped'ior any ''particitfir' occupation on attaining-man-! piood.';1-;. The^; result is that very often at ithe age of nineteen, or. twenty the .youth Us compelled to'give way to some young\ev boy, and he then drifts on to the :-xmskilled labour maxket, unequipped for ■any fixed occupation and/generally dis<contented. ■-. The seriousness of this state of affairs to'the'boys themselves may ,/dc readily seen when it is, pointed out ■that nearly all the unemployment that (has existed in New Zealand. since the \.war has arisen in the ranks of unskilled .;workers. Except in a few instances, men ■in skilled trades'have not been without i employment even during . the slackest (period of trade.. ; MANUAL AND CLERICAL VOCA--I TIONS. ; ■ There has been a tendency, too,' to I regard manual vocations as inferior to j clerical and other occupations, in many of which the wages paid are-lower, with the result that in important industries upon 'which the Dominion as a whole depends there' is a serious shortage of skilled workers. These difficulties have been recognised not only in New Zealand, but have, dur- , ing recent years, received world-wide attion. Many and various attempts have - been made in other countries to deal with the problem. In New Zealand, as a result' of conferences of parties interested which were convened by the Hon. Minister of Labour, a Bill was presented to Parliament last session. PROVISIONS OF THE ACT. j The main' provisions of the Act come jinto force on the Ist April, 1924. In j order, however, that boys who leave I school this year in the .principal town» may take advantage of those provisions of the Act that enable advice 'to be

given regarding suitable employments, a portion of-the' Act is already in operation.. '-These clauses provide that, with a view to giving guidance to boys who desire to become apprentices, the. Registrar of Apprentices shall arrange, fpr Juvenile Employment Bureaux, and for a register of vacancies in the skilled trades to be kept. Furthermore, a report will be issued by the head teacher of each school in the various centres 'to thei parents of boys leaving school for the' purpose, of entering employment. Attached to .the report issued by the head teacher will be a. form which may be filled in by the parent or guardian of any boy." desiring employment. This form should be forwarded or presented to the District Registrar of Apprentices' at the' office' of the Labour Department, in that town. The District Registrar ■w\ll be pleased to assist and Advise boys as to suitable, employment, in order that they may, so far as possible, follow their natural bent in what may be their life-' work. The Act aims at the general well-being of boys in industries as well as assisting in the development of the industries themselves. For these purposes it gives special powers to the Court of Arbitration and to local committees to deal with the conditions of apprenticeship in each trade. A local committee representing employers and workers concerned may be set up in, any industry or ■ group_ of industries for the purpose, of watching the progress of apprentices and ensuring that the terms of the apprenticeships are ' properly . carried out' by both, employers and apprentices. ■ Where, for instance, a committee finds that an apprentice is not obtaining full facilities for'learing his trade, the committee will have the power "to transfer thei. apprentice to another,- employer, or to require the employer to gve fuller facilities to the apprentice, or to allow time o5 for attendance of the apprentice at a'technical school. It may also prescibe examinations to be held from time to time. Another duty that: is cast upon the Arbitration Court and 'the committees is to see" that the proportion' .of apprentices to journeymen will, on the one hand, be sufficient to ensure so far as possible. that) an adequate supply of labour will be forthcoming for the future requirements of the respective in.dustries, and, on the other hand, safeguard the interests' of , the 'apprentices themselves respecting their future prospects of Employment as journeymen by seeing that,too' large a proportion of apprentices is not allowed. ' - PROBATIONARY PERIODS. To enable the apprentice to- give a trial to any occupation to which he desires to be apprenticed, provision is made for probationary periods during which either, the apprentice or the em°ployer may terminate' the arrangement. After | the expirationl '< of the probationary period the contract of apprenticeship ■wall, unless . previously terminated, become binding fpr its term. Before any apprenticeship is entered into, however, a further safeguard, is set" out in the Act under which it will be necessary to I:submit the proposed contract of apprenticeship to. the District Registrar, who will, before authorising its adoption sahsfy himself that it will be fair to both sides. ' The co-operation of teachers, parents; and the boys themselves, is,.earnestly desired to successfully 'acHie/e tho objects ol the new Act. ■