The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-02

ticut high schools needs to be re-I organized to conform to the needs l of modern business New aims must | be set up and new procedures de- | veloped if students are to be pre- pared for jobs existing in business and commercial fields. This is in- dicated from information gathered | by the State Department of Educa- | ti0n during the past two years.
 I'wenty-seyen per cent of all efn- ] plOyed stenographers in Connecticut l would have to be displaced each year to provide jobs for graduating l high school girls trained in stenog- i xap1y. Female graduates of com- | merciai courses in lo40 numbered ! over 5000. This was more than i've times the number of Inexperienced l youth that the State Employment | Service was able to place in sales 1 and clerical jobs combined during | 1889. Far too many students are taking commercial training in the | states high schools, in the opinion | Of the Department.
 The Department of Education in l It's study of commercial education l offers explanations for the over- emphasis on commercial education 1 in the high schools of the state. Misconception as to the number of | commercial opportunities available for skilled office workers, prefer ence for office work on the part of students and parents based on false prestige values, and lack of alter nate vocational opportunities for students who must prepare in high school to earn a living immediately on leaving school are given as most important.
 Few Opportunities. Studies of employment demands show that there is little chance for the majority of high school stu- dents studying stenography and they can use the Skills learned in bookkeeping to get jobs in which school. In the past, business courses in many high schools have expanded without any consideration of the market for the skills taught. Some of the facts demanding re- organization of education for the commercial fields, according to the Department of Education, are:
 1. Only about 20 per cent of Con- necticut,S workers are employed in strictly commercial pursuits while 1 approximately 45 per cent of the high school students are preparing to enter the field.
 3. A large number of the grad uateS of commercial courses in high l school do not possess sufficiently l advanced skills to enter commercial fields as bookkeepers or stenogra- phefs.
 3. Persons employed in selling, | merchandising, and other business occupations, even in cities where | large commercial enterprises exist, l definitely outnumber bookkeepers | and stenographers.
 I. Many commercial firms do not l give preference to graduates of commercial courses for clerical posi- l tion9 and even favor graduates of 1 other courses who have high acad- l emic achievement.
 Recommendations.
 The State Department of Educa- tion makes the following recon. mendations for the reorganization of commercial education in the l high schools of the state:
 All education through the 10th | year should be general. Personal | development, mastery of written | and spoken English, cultural train | ing, and the acquisition of basic | skills needed in all vacations, should | be the aims of this period of edu- | cation. tj Elementary and intermediate training in sales and other fields common in the business world | should be given to a limited group of students during the last two yars of high school.
 During the last year and possibly the last two, those students who have shown capacity for advanced work should be given specialized training in the highly technical skillS required in few occupations in the business and commercial field.
 More effective plans for the selec- ton and guidance of students should be developed so that Stu- dents can be guided into fields for 1 which they are naturally adapted and in which there is Q probability of employment.
 The courses in high school should provide ample opportunity to de- Velop habits of dress, speech. and conduct demanded by employers of all workers.
 Scope Extended.
 The scope of the commercial pro- gram should be broadened to in- clude possibilities for training with in the capacities of each individual. Many opportunities for employment exist in such felds as filing, ofiice machine operation, office reception, sales distribution, and merchandis- ing. Training for these fields has, up to the present time, been large ly neglected by the schools.
 Advanced training for the at- tainment of skills and knowledge in fields not usually considered Q part of high school commercial work should be provided. Examples of this type of course are real estate. advertising. sales promotion. per- Sonnel management, and govern mental accounting.
 Schools should attempt to or- ganize cooperative programs with commercial and business concerns to give opportunities for students to get practical experience under acc tlal working conditions.
 Supplementary traingng courses