BACK TO APPRENTICESHIP.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12405, 29 December 1909, Page 4

BACK TO APPRENTICESHIP.

Tn spite of various obstacles, apprenticeship is baing revived in England. It. is becoming a question of the hoiuv Committees and conferences are discussing it. The new Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Knill, intends to make its. promotion his chief interest during his: term of office He is being encouraged in this work by most of the ancientguilds and a large number of manufacturers. The London County Council is considering how far it can assist in the^ movement. And substantial practical results are reported from the National) Institution of Apprenticeship. Thequality of the workmanship in old established English trades shows a decline, ascompared with the high average maintained in earlier days. Several employers say that first class workmen arescarce. It is believed that the reintrorluction of the apprenticeship system,, where practicable, will enable ■■theirneeds to be met, and that once more it -:. will be possible to regard "artisan" andT "artist" as interchangeable terms.. There can be no doubt that the neglect; of apprenticeship has''b*ontributed to the unemployment evil in England by leaving youths to drift into temporary, or- " blind alley/ occupations during theyears in which they might be getting; training in a trade. .It is, of course, well understood that a proportion of ttie~ lads would in any circumstances preferto'avoid apprenticeship, and also that some parents and employers are opposed" to.it. ; But those,who advocate a revivaL--of the system say there is still, and always will be, ample room for it in trades• whe.ro high class hand work is needed, • and that the employers concerned are now anxious for apprenticeship on theold lines. "I want it to be made possible," says Sir John Knill, "foi; eacliman to rake an interest in his work, and" to raite himself. That can only be done by interesting him in a particulartrade, and teaching him to stick to it,, and work hard'at it. Men ccme to meat my private address and ask for work.. I ask them what they can do, and they say 'Anything.' That is the sad featureof their position. They are ready to do everything, but through want of skill? they are unable to do anything. Next month I shall preside at a conference at tin- Mansion Housa on the subject, whenI hope public opinion will be thoroughlyrousod. I want the old style of apprenticeship to be the custom again. I shall' bo told that it is almost impracticable— this old system of apprentices lodging: with the master—but f shall make that my object. My desire is to see more oF the personal influence of the master inhis apprentices' work, and more selfsacrificing interest taken by the parentsin the boy's future." It is calculated that apprenticeship could be intro^ducea in about 120 London trades. The bestindication of the field open to Sir John Knill and his friends is seen in the experience of the- National Institution of Apprenticeship. Its founder and secretary, Mr. J. S. Ballin, states that the institution takes care in the first placeto make sure that it is finding suitabletrades for the individual boys and girls concerned, to see that the right kind of' indentures are drawn up, and to ascertain whab the master can teach, and that lie can carry out his part of thecontract. As the result of the caroexercised, only six failures were recorded last year out of 600 cases, and thesewere due either to the exceptional incapacity or faults of the. boys, feuch a-. small proportion of disappointmentsproves the success of the method. Asked as to the trades most adapted for thesystein, Mr. Ballin indicated those whick require systematic teaching over a period" of three, four, or five years, and not. those which can be learned in a few months. Boys and girls have been apprenticed by tho institution to 115. trades, and those Avere chosen in .which good wages could be earned wlien:the-., period of apprenticeship was over. Mr. Ballin says he was induced to start theinstitution by a large number of manufacturers, who had convinced him of the shortage of skilled men. Many masters are still prejudiced, but they are com- ' ing round to a more favourable view, and applications from parents and boysfor apprenticeship are being received by the institution at the rate "of 60 to> 80 per week.