8.—5

6

The, appended table shows the variation in attendance of students in certain occupations in the last eleven years. Both sexes are included, but in the commercial group females probably predominate, while students from the engineering and building trades are probably without exception males. The effect of the war is clearly seen in both groups, and also probably lo some extent that of the " slump " of 1921-22, though most of the shrinkage in these groups between 1921 and 1922 was due to the regulations for compulsory attendance in force in certain country districts having been placed in abeyance.

Students in Technical Schools.

It appears generally from the table that there is a distinct tendency for the classes in the engineering and the building trades to grow stronger, while, on the other hand, the continuation and commercial classes tend to become on the whole smaller. The weakening of these classes in numbers is perhaps largely due to the increase in the numbers attending full-time post-primary courses, the increase in which has been large in both district high schools and high schools ; while in technical high schools the number attending fourteen such schools in 1923 was 5,024, as against 1,664 attending eight schools in 191.3, an. increase of over 200 per cent. In. connection with these figures it should be noted that there has been in recent years a considerable shrinkage in the number of centres in which recognized technical classes are being held. While this shrinkage is partly due to a change in the method of recognition, it is also ( largely due to the discontinuance of such classes as woodwork for amateurs, dressmaking, cookery, English, arithmetic, and elementary commercial subjects in small centres. The growth of the post-primary day-school system has to a large extent removed the necessity for such classes, though doubtless as population increases an increased demand, may warrant the re-establishment of such centres, with more satisfactory courses bearing directly on local industries. The results of the City and Guilds Examinations for the past ten years would appear to show that in trade subjects the standard of attainment is not so high as it was before the war, though the difference is not well marked, the proportion of passes to the total number of trade students being much the same as in former years. The only trade in which progress may be gauged by results of local examinations is that of plumbing. In this trade the Plumbers' Board has had occasion to note in the last few years a distinct decline in average attainment of candidates for certificates. This decline is due, in the opinion of the technical-school teachers, mainly to the fact that, whereas before the. Plumbers' Board of New Zealand was set up under the Plumbers Registration Act the passing of first-, second-, third-, and fourth-year examinations was a usual and often a prescribed preliminary for apprentices wishing to qualify for certificates, it is not now compulsory for apprentices to take any specific technical-school course before sitting for the certificate examination, with the consequence that a large proportion of the candidates attempt to prepare for the examination by a short course of cramming. Steps are being taken in at least one centre to ensure, by day classes as well as by compulsory attendance at evening classes, that the apprentices shall take a full course extending over the years of apprenticeship. The extension of this principle to other trades is contemplated by the provisions of the Apprentice Act of 1923. This Act provides means by which in any trade and locality the Arbitration Court may direct attendance of young learners at suitable classes, while provision is also made whereby the cost of more directly vocational training may be met by the employers if the majority employing the majority of the workers in any trade in any locality are prepared to co-operate in establishing classes.

Numbers atl sending 'I 1'echnical Classes from cer in the Yea: tain Groi ■s ups of Industrial Occupations Occupation) 1918. 1914. 1915. 11)16. 1917. 1918. 1919. 1920. 1921. 1922. 1923. Clerical Shop and warehouse .. * .. Dressmaking, millinery, &o. Tailors and tailoresses Printers, &c. 1,752 1,874 1,144 1,187 230 267 84 118 151 170 1,874 1,187 267 118 170 1,996 1,307 241 100 176 2,207 1,422 262 ■ 127 147 2,382 1,373 249 102 176 2,173 1,295 227 68 151 1,911 1,295 227 102 130 2,146 1,300 245 ■ 85 119 2,214 1,042 240 131 130 1,957 1,203 264 86 79 1,972 858 135 83 83 Total commercial 3,361 3,616 3,616 3,820 I 4,165 4,282 i 3,914 3,665 3,895 3,757 3,589 3,131 Engineers and mechanics Electricians Plumbers and metal-workers Woodworkers Painters, plasterers, &c. 638 644 238 228 601 622 535 521 162 136 644 228 622 521 136 699 214 441 454 126 745 248 377 384 117 784 261 351 315 124 826 316 290 289 101 961 278 362 346 109 878 476 546 506 79 900 408 577 539 107 701 359 511 428 186 754 420 634 519 69 Total engineering and building 2,174 2,151 2,151 1,934 1,871 1,835 1,822 2,056 2,531 2,185 2,396 2,483 N umber of centres at which recognized technical classes were held 132 138 138 168 151 154 131 110 121 94 66 56 City and Guilds Examinations : Trade subjects— Entries I I, I 270 215 172 133 63-8 62-0 215 133 62-0 186 122 65-7 250 141 56-5 236 128 54-3 226 111 49-0 156 70 45-0 261 161 61-8 339 185 54-6 363 187 51-5 362 165 45-7 Passes Percentage of passes