Montana labor news., 1939-08-17

Charles Davis Gives
Story Of Vocational
Training 10 Laboriies
Charles Davis, president of the
Silver Bow Central Labor Council
and coordinator of vocational train
ing in the Butte public schools, has
just returned from Fort Collins,
Colorado, where he spent the month
of July taking special work in voca-
tional training under DR.. Prosser,
co-author of the Smith Hughes law.
The Inauguration of the vocational
program in the United States, ac-
cording to Pres. Davis, began at the
st. Louis Fair in 1903 when Ger
many sent to America a group of
picked men to make a complete in
dustrial survey of the United States.
The main factor of their report was
the lack Of skilled labor and the
training of new workers-the out
look was the importation of skilled
workers from Europe.
Immediately the Americans saw
the need for a training program and
started a thorough study of the prob
lem of training our own workers.
The result of this study was the
passing of the Morrill, Act in 1868
establishing Land Grant Colleges in
every state in the union dealing with
agriculture and mechanical arts
hence, A. and M. colleges, The boys
and girls received training in these
fields.
At the turn of the century our
population began to shift from the
farms to the city-another need
arose-a training program for the
youth in trade and industry. Work
was Immediately started to take care
of this need and by 1917 the Smith
Hughes bill was prepared and
passed. This law included the for
mer law, expanded financially, and
added Trade, Home Economics and
Industrial Vocational Training for
the youth.
Trade and industrial schools are
best suited for cities not under 2O0,-
900 population for two very good
reasons:
(1) They are large enough to alb
sorb the workers that have been
trained in these schools.
~ They a afford the enormous
cost of machinery and school-plant
necessary to maintain an efficient
trade and industrial school.
The small cities and communities
also wanted their share of the money
to carry on a training program that
would suit their Individual localities,
so the George-Dean Act was passed
in 1887 expanding the federal e
Endorsements to $21, O00, 900 and in
Guiding diversified and distributive
occupations for the smaller cities.
The above federal funds are to be
matched by the states on a $3.50
basis.
Mr.. Davis stated that after careful
study and planning under competent
instructors he planned a diversified
occupation program that certainly
will fill a long-felt need for the train
ing and education of the non-college-
bound youth in Butte.
Under this plan, high school
junior and senior students work in
their chosen occupations for one-half
of each school day and attend school
the other half day, The training
extends over a period of two years.
During the employment time the
student is under the employer and
the school. Both agencies contribute
to his training-the employer by
teaching the occupational skills and
the school by teaching the technical
information of the trade or occupa-
ton. Two full periods of the school
time must be devoted to instruction
which is directly related to the work
the student is engaged in. Regular
high school subjects may be pursued
during the remainder of the school
day, thus the preparation for an
occupation does not preclude the
possibility of high school graduation.
This satisfies the demand of parents
that their sons and daughters finish
high school and receive diplomas. II
also meets with the approval of en-
ployers who want young people
coming into their business to have
the advantages of a high school edu-
cation irrespective of the other occu-
p~ational assets which they may
possess.
The term "coordinator" as used in