THE RIGHT WORK

Hokitika Guardian, 10 April 1931, Page 8

THE RIGHT WORK

HELPING BOYS AND GIRLS. VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE IN SYDNEY. SYDNEY, March 19. Great work in placing boys and girls who have completed their primary education in the right job is being done by the Sydney Vocational Guidance Bureau, a branch of the Education Department. This Bureau has been established three years and lust year it tested 3,000 children. It *is expected that this year 10,000 will be tested, the increase being due to the general economic position which has made parents realise the importance of finding suitable work for boys and girls when their schooling is completed. In the past many parents were satisfied if their boys became navvies or slipped into any other job that might be offering. They have seen the danger of this and are now only too willing to have the benefit of expert advice given after a series of exhaustive tests framed oil scientific principles. All kinds of people have applied for vocational guidance. There was a time when mothers used to take their babies to the Bureau, and elderly people, confident that it was never too Into to mend their ways, used to seek advice that would enable them to make another start. Tt has since been In id down that vocational guidance will be given only to boys and girh be. tween the ages of 1/5 and 21. One of the most interesting facts revealed bv the tests that are applied is that 7 ner cent, of the boys arc colour bbnd. During throe years only two colour blind girls have been discovered. 99 PER CENT. SUCCESS. “We can claim a 99 per cent, success in our work,” said tlie superintendent of the Bureau the other day. “Occasionally a boy docs not prove satisfactory in the job we have selected for him, but then we send him to another employer and almost invariably lie succeeds. The fir*st hoy placed by the Bureau was advised to take up lead-light designing. In tnree years lie developed a talent wnicli, according to liis employers, was as goud as that ol any experienced tradesman or architectural designer. Now we are going to have him trained as an architectural designer, and we are sure that he will <ju<«lny tor a vow high position. Another boy who was engaged in driving a delivery waggon was advised to become a draughtsman. He has since been singled oui by his firm for the position of designer. \>e have drafted hoys into all kinds of trades and professions, and, as 1 have said, the great majority of them have been suceesslul. “A number of the girls we examine are suitable only for home duties, and they don’t like being told so. One girl received very high parses in her leaving certificate examination, but when we tested her she had to count on her fingers to take five from nine. She had aspirations of becoming an accountant or a bookkeeper or something like that, find she was very disgusted when we told her that she was quite unsuited for that class of work, but that she would make a very good cook. ’ ’