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Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1933, Page 4

Discussing the necessity for enlarging the scope of technical education in Great Britain, Mr .Albert Abbott said wo, living in this modern world, are witnessing immense changes, not merely in the methods for producing the goods we need for use and sale, but in the goods themselves. Ought the workman of the future to lie trained its a specialist, knowing a somewhat narrow range of raw materials and their working properties thoroughly, and possessing the Manual skill needed for shaping the materials into finished goodv; ? Or should lie he trained on broader lines, in older that lie may be self-reliant, resourceful and, above all, adaptable! and prepared to meet with confidence whatever new eor.ditions may arise? My own view is that while the proportion of the specialist worker,-, will diminish, they mil! not disappear, and accordingly we must have 'definite methods for training them. These methods afo mostly effectively provided by preemployment full-time schools, r,uc!i as the London trade; schools. I think, however, that it is certain that the proportion of ‘handy-men’ needed hy industry will increase considerably and that a new meaning will he given to the term ‘skilled workman.’ In Great Britain we have always attached more imnortanee to the possession of personal qualities than w.?, have to that of knc'-ledgo or skill, and I hope that we shall continue to do so. The problem we have before us is to maintain C’d ev-’n to develop the persona] qualities I have mentioned, and, at the same time, to increroe knowledge and widen skill.”