The Wingham Advance-Times, 1968-12-05, Page 12Page 4 - , Wingharrm Advance -Tins, Thuisda,
The school office is located adjacent to tne main entrance
Technology has vital role in preparing young people
for world which still needs trained hands and minds
By E. C. BEARD
Until recently many second-
ary schools of Ontario were (4*
fering. one basic type oi'educa-
tional programme geared to pre
pare every student to enter uni'
versity. It soon became appar"
eat that out of every 100 stu.'
dents who entered Grade 9 only
6 or.? ,entered university, and:
only. four managed to graduate.
The remaining 94% had corn.*
pleted a part of the programMe.
with less than Grade 13 educe- s,
tion, and little hope of obtain-
ing a suitable position in in-
dustry or commerce due to lack
of training for some occupation,
or lack of an adequate educa-
tion suited ,to the ch a rig i n g.
world of work.
The result of the,1a59 At-
kinson Study of Talent and its
Utilization in Ontario's second',
ary schools, coupled with the
various government inquiries
into the state of Canada's 1a-,,, •
boas force and its economy, has
led to a drastic shift in emphas-
is from the traditional educa
tional programme as was pre-
viously
re-
viously offered in our h i g h -
schools to that of a three stream -
programme called in Ontario,
"The Robarts Plan ",
Below are outlined portions
of two reports submitted to gov-
ernmentcommittees concerned
with giving Canada's school •
graduates the kind of education
needed to fit into a rapidly,
,.
changing Canadian e e on o na y
with all, of its implications
the future of its people, and as
a trading nation in a highly
competitive and industrialized
world.
From the Report of Select
Committee .on Mant ower Train.
ing published in February 1963;
In April of 19 62 the Legis-
lative Assembly as ke d this
Committee to study:
1: The Apprenticeship Act,
2. At 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-
dertaldng,
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 outlln' g what is re-
quired in this proce to pro-
vide the people of Ontario with
a comprehensive and pp -to -
date vocational education, and
a competent and efficient
training systemto follow grad-
uation.,
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 „com-
r ►ittrnentrr.
4, lnstitutial policies a n d
practices
5. Changes rr consumerdemand
6. :Foreign trade develop nts
7, Ontario's role in the defel-
opment of "Canada, ata trail'
ing'nation.
Changes in the above are,
taking place at an accelerating
rate. It has been, noted in, so
far as new selentifte discovery
and application of.such is corn
cerned, whille„ it took Faraday's
discoverpof electricity 50 yearn
to be universally appiied.and °
utilized,' contemporary new cdis'
coverres 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 ter a
lifetime,. Trends ;in the occu-
pational.cernpositioni of Cana-
da's labour force show that while'
the total Canadian labour force
grew by approximauely'24% be-
tween 1949 and 19 59, o_ ccupa-
tions 'which are skilled or„rela-
tively skilled grew muchifaster.
Skilled occupationsgrew by
38% while jobs open, to unskilled
or semi -skilled workers grew
by only19%, and opportunities
for semi or unskilled labourers
decreased by 27%. It is .estima
ted that future'requirem.ents° for
unskilled labour will not exceed
30% of our total Canadiap la -
1st
In the .marketing room students are taught the finer points of merchandising •
1.
Four up-to-date classrooms
sed for coriimercial studies
" By E , STUCKEY
The expansion of the school
premise w c('tii\\has peer ne-
c ar . to.accomrnodate' ncreas-
ed school,. population, :h been
accompanied by an .expansion
of opportunities in commercial
eduction. With more stu-
'dents.it has become economic-
ally feasible to offer other new
courses, 'along with the neces-
sary rooms and equipment, .thus
offering a. greater variety of
programmes to suit varied needs
and interests of students.
NEW FACILITIES
Four new, modernly equipp-
ed' classioorns--a Marketing.
Room, Office Practice Room,
Secretarial Laboratory,' and
• 1kkeeping Room --have ben:
itncluded i#t thernew addition,
along, with a student "Practice
• 'Office' adjacent to the Office
Practice' Room, a commercial
staff room, and an administra-
tive office. Each of the new
classrooms is large by •previous
• standards measuring approxi-
mately thirty by forty feet,
making, ft possible to accomMe-
date without crowding the larg- '
er desks, filing cabinets, equip-
ment, counters and storage fa-
cilities necessary for effective
. work in these areas.
A visitor to these zooms
would probably be impressed
by the bright cheerful atmos-
phere provided by good illum-
ination, harmonious colours,
and good ventil tion,. the func-
tional furniture tithe (solme-
tithes) !unconventional arrange-
ments, the wide variety of
modem office equipment• such
apt electric typewriters, dupli-
cators (spirit, stendii Ind offset)
files and dictation -transcribing
machines. He might also note
indications of the extensive use
of audio-visual equipment such
as overhead projectors; movie,
slide and film -strip projectors;
tape recorders and record play-
ers.
Special note would probably
be taken of two of the n e w
rooms, because of their novel-
ty --the Secretarial Laboratory
and the Marketing Room. The
former, handsomely equipped
with I, -.shaped desks and elec-
tric typewriters, also contains
electronic equipment designed
to provide from tape recorders
(or other sources) up to four
*channels" of shorthand dicta-
tion, simultaneously, at differ-
ent speeds. Since a student;
May "tune in" on the channel
which is within her speed c a-
`pacity, it is expected that stu-
dents at all levels of ability
, will make faster progress as a
rest* of this equipment. (This
•
room may also be used as a
language laboratory.)
In the new Marketing Room ,
Ahe layout pf.the .roem'and,
mice of equipmcntAVe been
designed oto give as much flex-
ibility of arrangement as pos-
sible. . Trapezoidal tables (in- .
stead of conventional desks),
in addition to giving good work-
ing areas, permit many differ-
ent variatidns in 'se at ing ar-
rangements for group projects
or; discussions. Show -cases,
display "islands",.counters and
even the large simulated -win
dow-display platform are all
provable. Other it ems of.
'equipment Include mannequins,
display accessories, a sign
making machine, cash register,
projectors, etc. A built-in
show -window, accessible
through two doors at the back,
faces the hall. •
NEW COURSES
' Two courses have been add-
ed, offeringstudents new op-
portunities 'in • two important,
rapidly expanding fields: Data
Processing and, as previously
indicated, Marketing.
A basic course in Data Pro -
mg was offered fora the first.
brie last year, under the dir-
ection -of Mr. Gavreluk, and
again this year, with some
classes taking a second year
course. This course is design-
ed to acquaint the student with
the rapidly changing field of
Data Processing, its impact on
society and the business world,
giving him some knowledge of,
and practice in, key-punch"op-
eration, the operation and pro-
gramming of computers, the
applications of computers and
other data processing equip-
ment in business. If interested
in this field of work the stu-
dent may continue on to more
advanced training either on the
Job or at a training centre.
The other new course, Mark-
eting, offered for the first time
this year, lead's into an entire-
ly different field. In this course,
which is under direction of Mr.
Haly, the student studies,the
many business activities con-,
nectcd with the distribution of
goods, from production through
processing and transportation to
wholesaling, advertising, and,
of course, retailing. A student
who is especially interested in
his field of work may proceed
directly into employment or
continue into more advanced
training.
Let us sec how these courses
fit into the existing commercial
courses, remembering that •
13usiness and Commerce courses
are offered in both five"year
and four-year programmes. In'
•
the.sfive-year Business and Com-
merce' (Secretarial or Account-
.ancy) course, a, student may
graduate' with not ,only the ne-
cessarp�,',,�aliftCatlik icr on
to university, but also with the
necessary vocational compet-
ence for employment in secre-
tarial work or accountancy.
Data Processing is now taught _
in grade ten and eleven In the
Accountancy part of this pro-
gramme only.
In the four-year Business and
Commerce course, which c9n-
tains a greater concentration of
.'vocational subjects, the student
may choose., as previously,. the
Stenographic course or Book-
keeping course. A further choice
is now available in grade 12 for
the bookkeeping students who
may -elect to take a second year
of Data Processing instead of
Office Practice. Marketing is
taken by all of the students in
the bookkeeping group.,
The Commercial Depart •
-
ment has served the young peo-
ple of the community well for
many years. An indication of
the rapid growth in enrollment
in commercial courses is shown
by the fact that when the prev-
ious
revious wing was opened five years
ago in 1963, there were 196
students in regular commercial
courses (as compared with 24
enrolled five years previously),
and this year we have approxi-
mately 425 enrolled, or 33%
of the total enrollment.
The Centennial Fountain enhances the main
A modern abstract is worked into the mosaic tile of this wall •
bout force.
In a'recent report submitted
by the Economics and Research
Brauncivotthe Department of
ur,.Ottawa, to the special
mittee of the Senate on
anpower and Emitloyment,
the following statistics were
produced. In five rnajor Indus
tries viz.; motor vehicles, nto'
tor vehicle parts, electrical ap-
paratus- apd supplies, he av y
machinery, household appR a
ances, between 1949 ' '1959 the
following changes in production
and .employment; were�flotedt
' 50% increa*e in Motor ve
hicle production with, only 11%
additional labour requirements.
20' increase in motor ve. .
htcle parts with 7% increase in
labour necessary`
80% increase in electrical
apparatusandsupplies with 40%a
increase in additional labour.
3S0'Q rncrease.in, Machinter
with 17%0 more wcrkerrs required.
54%a increase ut ltousehold,
appliance production with only
11016.increase m Manpower.
In the major occupational
groupings, both. sexes, for Cana-
da between 1901 19 60. i the fol-
lowipg changes ire the labour ,
force in percentages., were re*
vealed: AgriculturaVdeclined
from 40% to 11%a, lilue collar
workers increased from 2707o to
31% White collar workers in-
creased from 16% to 37%a Serv-
ice industries, increased:from
7% to 10% Transportation and
communication increased from
5% to 8%,,.'Resource producers
declined from 5% to $%
The report concludes with
the following comments
"It is clear that some signi-
ficant problems of' adjustment
Wave occurred, and are current-
. ly being createdby the teehnol-
ogical changes taking place'in
,.the Canadiap economy.. A corn -
mon feature of ,many• of them
is the premium which they are
putting on higher and higher '
levels. of basic. edecation and
specialized training. Related
to this is the growing f m p o`r t -.
ance for those now in school -to
understand in some effective
way, not only the, key facts
about how the world of work is
chaangitrg; ,b aleo=some ofthett-
actual relationships hetween
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, Iaunc'hed a
Technical School .building pro-
gramme which commenced in
March 1960. To date *m or e
than °240 new schools or school
additions have been approved
or completed in Ontario.
In '1964 Wingham had com-
pleted a limited Vocational adL •
dition with technicalshops
which provided instruction in
Auto Mechanics, Drafting, Car-
pentry and Millwork,' and Elec-
tricity.
In 1966 came a proposal
from the Curriculurn Division of
the Ontario Department' of Edu-
cation to consider combining
certain Shop subje IS in Grades
11 and 12, whir* have a •oorrr
man technolOgical, base. Tito
main consideration is the chane
ing emphases taking place In
modem industry, where rsew
conditions and processes require
eoostattt up -grading of employ-
ees to suit the new industrial
environment. "A form of tech.,
nical education whichstresses
specific Manual skills which are
lilies y
to'be obsolete tomorrow
will not prepare the student for
.the greatendiversity o�f'gelectro-
meanleal, .chemical. Vern"' ..
purer -based machinery sad pro-
ces
drsses�try. which are common in
.
Irt
196/ a Further addition tett •
the technical' wing. has. added
the following new .technical
subject: areas; Mechanical
Th afting, Sheet Metal and Welds
`ing, Machine' Shop. Electronics,
a second Automotive Area,and
two new Boys' Occupational p a
Areas which will add Uphol-
'stery, ,Auto -Servicing,..
Trowel Trades to tire° eurricu,-
lum.
The student in Grades 9 and,
10 of the 4- year Sclenee , Tech'
nology. and T>ades: branch spends
a total of 15 periods per week
ob•taining very basic instruction.
in the above technical,sublects.
At the end of Grade 10 he is ex -1.
petted to :choose one'sli6p in
which he will receive 11 periods'
of specialized instruction,' to-
gether with one additional shop
which will. provide 4 periods' of
related information and 'tnsruc-
tion; making a total 'of 15:tech-
nical subject periods each cycle.;
In addition he will continue to
study English, Matheriatics,, ,
Science, `withlother options
which give him a:'balanced' ed, i
ucational program so that he
will be "fitted for further educa-
tion and training when he enters
his apprenticeship training per -
sod in industry. • .
s
In the 57year Science, Tech-
nology and Trades branch the
student is gi1ten. fewek,shop in-
structionperiodsr tl ars hist-41year i
counterpart 'but his:shop and
• academic program is geared to
providing :a sound foundation
for advanced instruction in a
university oe technological in-
stitute as his aptitude interest
_: �lra'sFtiw.,�,l2liltiora rrNa!
and ambition dictates.
What is now required is not
iiiastecy o1-iTe i`'t'e hr61't', " `t"
skills, but"rather a broader,
more fuedaniental base fro..
which comprehension of the in g
ter -related technologies, em-
bodied in machines and pro-
renes, can be gained with ,+ .
comparative ease." Out school
in the light of this pronounce- ..
mient has instituted the fi rs t
combined course,in the 4 -year
S. T. &T, Grade' 11 program in
Electrical Techneiogy, which
embraces the "fundamental.
theories and relates Thera in-
timately together with ,a.com=
biped study of their practical
applications mechanically as in •••
generators, and electronically
as is found in Communications,
and its related, but very eom
plex field. Further integration •
of present courses may pe c4P.•. •,,'
sidered as future needs become
apparent., •
It is hoped that the new fa
cilities and courses offered' at c
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 gear"
ed to provide industry and so-
ciety with the willing, aggres-
ive and adaptable worker' which
the Canadian economy of to-
morrow will expect from such
facilities.
"•
ur appreciation
for the opportunity to serve a progressive community . , .
and to have a part in the future of a new generation.
The John Hayman & Sons Company;
LIMITED
GENERA, CONTRACTORS
P.O. Box 2663
432 Wellingtett Street
LONDON, Ontario
•