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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1964-04-23, Page 5CANADA'S NEED$ TO BE MET The New Technical VI/DHS Programme By E, C, Beard Technical Director Until recently many second- ary schools of Ontario were of- fering one basic type of educa- tional programme geared to pre- pare every student to enter uni- versity. 1t soon became appar- ent that out of every 100 stu- dents who entered Grade 9 only 6 or 7 entered university, and only four managed to graduate. The remaining 94% had completed a part of the pro- gramme with less than Grade 13 education, and little hope of obtaining a suitable position in industry or commerce due to lack of training for some oc- cupation, or lack of an ade- quate education suited to the 'Changing world of work, The result of the 1959 At- kinson Study of Talent and its Utilization in Ontario's secon- dary schools, coupled with the various government inquiries into the state of Canada's la- bour force and its economy, has led to a drastic shift in emphas- • is from the traditional educa- tional programme as was pre- viously offered in our high schools to that of a three stream programme called in Ontario, "The Robarts Plan". Below are outlined portions • of two reports submitted to gov- ernment committees concerned with giving Canada's school graduates the kind of education needed to fit into a rapidly changing Canadian economy with all of its implications for • the future of its people, and as a trading nation in a highly competitive and industrialized world. From the Report of Select Committee on Manpower Train- ing published in February 19631 - In April of 1962 the Legis- lative Assembly asked this Com- mittee to study: 1. The Apprenticeship Act. 2. All aspects of Ontario's ap- prenticeship system as itper- tains to the training of per- ' sons in trades or crafts relat- ing to the construction in- dustry and in industrial un- dertakings 3. The training of workers and more particularly retraining upgrading of skills,. 4, The roles of Government, Industry and Labour in this field, The committee was assigned the task of outlining what is re- quired in this province to pro- vide the people of Ontario with a comprehensive and up-to-date vocational education, and a competent and efficient train- ing system to follow graduation. Reasons for the committee's investigation was to be found in the recent developments and changes in the Canadian labour force, and the following: 1. Technological change 2, Research and development 3, Defence and foreign corn- mittments 4, Institutional policies and practices 5. Changes in consumer demand 6. Foreign trade developments 7. Ontario's role in the devel- opment of Canada as a trad- ing nation. Changes in the above are taking place at an accelerating rate. It has been noted in so far as new scientific discovery and application of such is con- cerned, while it took Faraday's discovery of electricity 50 years to be universally applied and utilized, contemporary new dis- coveries are now utilized in the brief period of between five and eight years. Furthermore occupational shifts in the labour force are changing rapidly. The tenden- cy is for fewer and fewer work- ers who will be able to follow one trade or occupation for a lifetime. Trends in the occu- pational composition of Cana- da's labour force show that while the total Canadian labour force grew by approximately 24% be- tween 1949 and 1959, occupa- tions which are skilled or rela- tively skilled grew much faster. Skilled occupations grew by 38% while jobs open to unskilled or semi -skilled workers grew by only 19%, and opportunities for semi or unskilled labourers decreased by 27%, It is estim- ated that future requirements for unskilled labour will notex- eed 30% of our total Canadian labour force. In a recent report submitted by the Economies and Research Branch of the Department ofLa- bour, Ottawa, to the special committee of the Senate on Manpower and Employment, the following statistics were produced. In five major indus- tries viz.: - motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts, electrical apparatus and supplies, heavy machinery, household appli - ances; between 1949 - 1959 the following changes in production and employment were noted: 50% increase in motor ve- hicle production with only 11% additional labour requirements. 20% increase in motor ve- hicle parts with 7% increase in labour necessary. 80% increase in electrical apparatus and supplies with 40% increase in additional la- bour. 33% increase in machinery with 17% more workers required. 54% increase in household appliance production with only 11 % increase in manpower. In the major occupational groupings, both sexes, for Can- ada between 1901 - 1960 the fol- lowing changes in the labour force in percentages were re- vealed: Agricultural declined from 40% to 11%. Blue collar workers increased from 27% to 31%. White collar workers in- creased from 16% to 37%. Ser- vice industries increased from 7o10 to 10%. Transportation and communication increased from 50/0 to 8%. Resource producers declined from 5% to 3%. The report concludes with the following comment: "It is clear that some signi- ficant problems of adjustment have occurred, and are current- ly being created by the technol- ogical changes taking place in CONGRATULATIONS TO.WINGHAM DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL On the opening of their new VOCATIONAL WING. Phone: Thornbury 790-W-3 WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPLY THE CAR TO BE USED IN THE MECHANICAL COURSE AT YOUR NEW VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. DINSMORE AUTO WRECKERS R.R. #1 THORNBURY, ONTARIO the Canadian economy. A common feature of many of them is the premium which they are putting on higher andhigher levels of basic education and specialized training, Related to this is the growing importance for those now in school to un- deratand in some effective way, not only the key facts a about how the world of work is changing; but also some of the adtual relationships between what they are now studying what they will be called upon to do in their working lives, If young people cannot see, in more than abstract terms, how their studies today, relate to their work and careers to -mor- row, then they are left only too vulnerable for the empty at- tractions of an immediate job with apparently steady income and not very demanding work. From the resulting school drop- outs will come the unskilled and semi -skilled unemployed of the future," Because of these trends the Ontario Provincial Government in co-operation with the Feder- al Government, launched a Technical School building pro- gramme which commenced in March 1960. To date more than 240 new schools or school additions have been approved or completed in Ontario. Wingham has a limited Vo- cational addition with techni- cal shops which provide instruc- tion in Auto Mechanics, Draft- ing, Carpentry and Millwork, and Electricity for those stu- dents who have the necessary aptitude and interest to benefit from such instruction. The stu- dent in Grades 9 and 10 of the 4 -year Science, Technology and Trades branch spends a to- tal of 15 periods per week ob- taining very basic instruction in the above technical subjects. At the end of Grade 10 he is ex- pected to choose one shop in which he will receive 14 peri- ods of specialized instruction, together with one additional shop which will provide five periods of related information and instruction, making a total of 19 technical subject periods each week. In addition he will continue to study English, Math- ematics, Science with other op- tions which give him a 'bal - anced' educational programme so that he will be fitted for fur- ther education and training when he enters his apprentice- ship training period in industry. In the 5 -year Science, Techno- logy and Trades branch the stu- dent is given fewer shop instruc- tion periods than his 4 -year counterpart, but his shop and academic programme is geared to providing a sound foundation for advanced instruction in a university or technological in- stitute as his aptitude, interest, and ambition dictates. It is hoped that the new fac- ilities and courses offered at the school will be conducive to attracting the kind of student who will benefit from the types of programme which are now available. These are all geared to provide indus try and society with the willing,aggres- sive and adaptable worker which the Canadian economy of to- morrow will expect from such facilities. She will then be Wingham Advance -Times, Thursday, April 23, 1964 --Page 5 WOODWORKING is one of the major crafts taught in the occupational course of the vocational department. Keith Henry is shown at one of the work benches putting the finishing touches to the arm rest of a lawn chair.—A-T Photo. 0 0 VARIETY OF SKILLS are taught in the two- year occupational course which is included in the broadened field of study made pos- sible by the vocational addition to the C. school. Irvine Storey and Edward Burt are shown constructing lawn chairs during their course of study. —Photo by Connell. The Vocational Electrical Programme BY H.M. CREE Electrical Dept. For the past two years, the Government of Ontario has been engaged in a vigorous program- me of expanding the education- al facilities available to the people of the province. Under the terms of the Federal -Pro- vincial Technical and Vocational Training Agreement, the Gov- ernment of Canada and the Province of Ontario are provid- ing a vast extension of facilities for technical education. In electricity, during the first year of the four year pro- gramme, the pupils learn the basic types of circuits, joints and splices, principles of mag- netism and basic motor theory. Also included in this phase of the course is a generous amount of practical work in each of these areas. One main consid- eration is the proper use of able to maintain and improve her position as a major manu- facturing and trading nation in our modern and very industri- alized and complex world. Congratulations to the Wingham District High School Board on this new addition. A fine new vocational wing is completed. A big undertaking has been accomplished, providing the area youth with greater opportunities. We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to play a part in the completion of this essential project. Ward Equipment Sales Ltd. 104 CROCKFORD BLVD., SCARBOROUGH, Ont. Cleaning equipment for gasoline and diesel motors, radiators, automatic transmissions, fuel injectors, tune-up departments, small parts, typewriters, adding machines, teletypes, calculators and other special applications of metal cleaning problems. tools and becoming familiar with project layout. In the second year of the course, the pupils learn the identification of types and sizes of electrical conductors, the proper method of installing do- mestic electrical wiring and the rules governing these installa- tions. Also included in this phase of the course is the study and drawing of basic electrical layout. The programme in Grades 9 and 10 is a course in the basic fundamentals of elec- tricity. This provides an oppor- tunity to ascertain the capaci- ties and interests of the pupil. The pupil is thus assisted in making an intelligent selection of a technical subject in which to specialize in Grades 11 and 12, preparatory to admission to a trade or industry. In Grade 11, the course in- cludes the installation of do- mestic electrical services, the planning and estimating of electrical installations from blueprints and circuit diagrams and elementary motor theory. Also included in this area is the maintenance, testing and re- pair of motors, generators and industrial control equipment. The Grade 12 course deals mainly with industrial type electrical installations, trans- formers, control apparatus, and the repair of motors and gener- ators. A large part of the class time is devoted to the theory aspects of the course. Basic in- dustrial electronics is included in the final year of this pro- gramme, Those pupils majoring in electricity can enter the app- renticeship training programme which would lead to employ- ment with an electrical con- tracting firm, station main- tenance with the. Ontario Hydro, industrial maintenance and con- trol work and many other posi- tions. Many employers hesi- tate to hire these young men because of their lack ofknow- ledge in the apprenticeship programme but those who do apprentice these young men are amply repaid for their efforts. Other avenues open to suc- cessful graduates from this course are further training in the electronics field, employ- ment in the electronics indus- try or electronics repair work. Pupils enrolled in Grade 11 and 12 spend fourteen periods per week studying Electricity and five periods studying a related technical subject. On success- ful completion of this course, the pupil receives a secondary school graduation diploma. The five year programme stresses the theoretical aspects of electricity. This is a course leading to Grade 13 standing Ind provides the pupils with an opportunity to obtain technical knowledge and skill as a back- ground for more advanced edu- cation in this or another relat- ed field if he so chooses. Woodworking Continued from Page Four with more advanced hand skills combined, and to challenge the more mature student using the shop's facilities. Projects are chosen which will he of good design, and which contain student appeal, so that interest and a sense of a challenge met and achieved can be felt by him. Group projects are occasionally introduced in order to foster comradeship and develop latent leadership abil- ity. Finally, there is the overall important aim of the simultane- ous development of mind and body, with the eventual co-or- dination of muscle and skills which will be an invaluable as- set for those who choose to be- come our future doctors, dentists and others who must rely on the combination of all their facul- ties for true 'Success'.