The Industrial Ladder

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19893, 23 May 1936, Page 17 (Supplement)

The Industrial Ladder

Guidance for Youth : Blind Alley Problem.

(Maurice W’hltlow. In Great Thoughts.)

Fl ERNEST BROWN, Member of Parliament tor Leit'h. PresidentElect or the Baptist Union, some months ago became Minister of Labour. after serving for three years 35 Sec—retary to the .\tines Department or the Government. One of the most Impressive develOPmem or the work or the Ministry or Labour in recent years has been the care which is now taken for the guidance of the school-leaver on entering industry. it was about this side of the work that I sought an interview with Mr Brown in his omce at Montssu House. Whitehall, recently. “The duty or advising on the choice of careers and the placing in employment of boys and girls when they leave school.” said Mr Brown. “is a section of the Ministry‘s work which commenced in 1910. and has recently been considerably extended. It is interesting because it is an lvldonoc of s Go-ordtnstlon of Ellen. between two great departments of State, and depends for its success on the closest cooperation at those departments with local education authorities and industry social efforts. and a mutual understanding of the sims and purposes of each by the other. “ As far back as 1928 both the Education Department; and the Labour .\ilnistry realised that ‘hetween 1933 i and i 937 the labour market would be flooded with a much larger number or boys and girls than had been the ruse in the ten years before this peak period was reached. “What could not be foreseen was the rnmins of the world depression in iO3O lo lit-'l2. and our own tremendous problem of unemployment. Fortunately trade depression has yielded place to trade revival. particularly in the lighter factory industries. in which many juveniles are employed. For years the problem or the blind-alley job has troubled all who think about youth—welfare. it has not yet been solved, but In 1923 a beginning “as made on one aspect of the matter. the fruits or which we are reaping to-dayl “ Everybody knew that we had had a \‘ery high blrthrate in the years which followed the \\‘ar. That has. of course. resulted in much larger numbers 01‘ boys and glrls available for employment, numbers which, by the way. will begin to decrease rapidly in a year or two. "Now we are having an army of youth marching out of the schooiroom into the labour worhl. it would have been little less than a catastrophe to have allowed these hoys and girls to turn. unaided and undirected. to any Job which they might find nuiiluble. at a time when the depression in the areas concerned was at its worst. the labour market appallingly overcrowded and. its :i result. openings for juvenile workers of any progressive kind \cry restricted indeed. " it \\ill be understood that building up this national scheme of vocational guidance \\.-is not :in easy task. th it has born. I think l can say without fear of contradiction. one ill‘ the Greatest Value to the Nation, and one n! which too little has been hoard. Tllf‘ “lf‘mmlr follower] ‘lly tho ronihiiiicrs \ar)‘ natumlly in different districts. Broadly ”WEN"?- il'mf‘H‘l‘. they follow similar lim-s. 'l‘lic sctinnl—lz‘nu‘r. as the ond of his term hots nenrcr. is invilcd in moot ii Fl‘nlip hr pf‘ullli‘, N‘lilt‘ of \\‘ilnni nt lvust m. “1”.le knows well and has cuniidonrr in. His limit llliifilt’l’ is our. and nimli-rn “Odd musli'rs in t’lt‘llli‘llifll‘)‘ srhmuls .u'r by in) mums “u. pupulnr with their rldrr scholars. .\nnihrr of NW group Is at .lun-uilc (Zunimilim- umu—lwi'. who this iii-ch rlinscn ilt‘l'ullst‘ of his lxn-iwlrdxi: of youth and its [il‘iilili'illaV and his rinuly unilrrsiuinlinx of tho lmx‘, phl— Imul‘ nil lil'r. 'l‘ln‘. boy‘s parents nii‘t' llivi’n .ilsil. if .it. till pussiltli‘. “ 'l'hr task "1' this hillr rnnl‘rrrncr is ln lliscmrr linw tho boy's mind und :ihiliiirs “"“L ”9 nin he (Him! for omi'r wnrlt or m- ”my luv 01‘ .i nirctmhh'al turn. or fund oi" upt‘ll'lllr life. But whatever it may be, this guidance committee, \\hcn the boy has gone,

indicates its impressions as to ”he s°”. 9’ situation into which he should. in ”16‘1‘ opinion. he placed when the time comes. “Meanwhile the Juvenile Employment Committee has got to work outside the school. Its representative. having in mind the boys and girls who will be vleavins school within a few weeks. is in touch with prospective employers in the area,- and is Ibulldlng up a list of openings which will be available when the time~ comes for the youngsters to start work. “ It must not be supposed that every boy and girl can ‘be placed immediately in the ideal situation fitted to his or her capabilities and desires. “Nor must it be thought that all the school-leavers can be classified as to the exact Job that they will fit into. Anybody with the slightest knowledge of adolescents knows the uncertainty of 'boys and girls at this period. Further, there are always those without am‘bition, initiative or ability, who cannot be expected to legln Progressive Careers Forthwlth. “However. the Advisory Committee, with its carefully annotated list of leavers and employers, is an immense advance on the old laissez—l‘alre school, which believed in turning the tap of labour ‘supply.‘ and letting the boys and girls [ind their way into such ‘demands‘ channels as might be in existence, little caring whether those were really channels which fed the great rivers ol‘ national prosperity. “\\‘hen once the school—leaver has left srhool, and is in his first situation, the Ad\'lsory Committee ‘becomes a sort of aftercare organisation. is the boy going to find here a career? Will he fit into the scheme of things and, as he grows older, will he he able to take a man‘s share in the business he has entered? 0n the other side, is the employer going to give the youth the training and opportunity necessary for the full development of his powers? “ Here we have, clearly. further need for skiitul tact on the part of those interested. The boy Must Not. Be cuddled. The hard knocks or iiie must he endured. but any attempt to warp his character or stunt his powers must the avoided. 50 both the youth and the employer are consulted, in a spirit or real friendliness. "it may be that the lad leaves his job. This may 'be a good thing, but it is clear that he should not be permitted to do so on mere impulses, or because of this stop be left to drift from one place to another, with longer or shorter spells ol' idleness be—tween each situation. " if a new opening is ready. he is introduced to it. as soon as possible. If. on the olhor hand. he is not able to get work. then the Ministry of l.:ihour may require him to ailoml at a Juvenile Instruction (Zontrr for ilftcen hours a work. Here he will not he taught at spot-hit- trndr, llllt he \\ill be taught in keep his body iii and his mind ulcrl. Physical training forms a large part ot‘ the progrnniinc, and the instructors at those i'onirrs arc those \\ho are known in hr skilled in their inimliiii: ui‘ )‘Ulllll. and full or umiorst‘uuiing or the outlook of their students “These .ilmior insn'iii‘lhm Ilrntrrs llt’lll‘ almost from \\‘Ai' lliiii‘. lull shit-n llt'lil. \\‘livn tin-y t'illllt' UH'lt'l' ”in control of [hr .\iinisirV, iliv} li.i\t- lu'rii l‘i‘illlillli'll>l}‘ «lowlupoil. .iml llfl\t! murr lli.m Justified Thalr creation Already. "In ”like parts ut‘ llit‘ i‘iiiuiiry [u \\hii'h \\r iii-v lm-nmiii: .w iiiihiippily um'iisiiliiiml. thi- ‘Spm-i.il .\i'ms.’ the Labour .\lllll>[i'\‘ has st‘i up .i sriirmo \\hii'h is nmhinx :l “W“: Nl'iil'dl ti. imp and {Jil'ls iii the hiill't ivi' ”it‘ll' lllllllxli‘lill lii‘v. "'l‘livsii .\Hlill: limlpii' l\i|u\\ .il] .tlmiil Hit‘ tiiiliviillii-s ni‘ N'i'ill'ill: l'lllllti|}illl'l|i. iul' ”li' ill‘~illlv*|ll.~ ni’ ”lt‘ lllllrltl‘ \\ui'h ill'l';|{l\s[”|”\|'_\ :irv liu-ir tl.l|l.\ XHIZ'HUIL j” hum“ MNHNM’L 'l'u tin-m. lIIi-i'i-i'iii-ig \\|‘ .m' M‘llillllK uni mils in ii nr\\ lit'v, tolling illl‘lll llmi liuiinliix. prunrossiw l‘lil]l!l|.\li|t‘“t and, it may lie, ‘1 4'llitlll't' in llt‘l]! Hi“ \\iiuli- family in start life. in a mom- prosperous ilistrirp a”. ”mm.“ ulltlt‘l' the tiuwrnmt-nt's ii'aiisi‘rr schema"