Imperial Valley press., 1943-02-01
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

Plans Tor tne lOIllldCloll "l'N 1ii
istment of civilian / Il II
CORPS" are now being considered by
q committee within the War Man
mower Commission, to train ano
nrovide technicians needed for wal
! industries.
Army and Navy programs fol
specialized technical education OF
an estimated 495 900 men and wom-
en- in uniform are only a part oil
/ the story OF how the colleges anu
universities of the country are go
ing to be geared into the war ell
| fort. The special training pro-
grams of preliminary. basic eduea-
ton of officer and pilot candidates,
technicians. WAVES and WAACS
will use the facilities, dormitories'
class rooms and facilities of 400 or
500 of the colleges and universl-
ties.
But on ton of this educational
requirement for uniformed MEM
Eers of the armed services. there
is tremendous demand for
specially trained civilians for the
war industries, and ultimately ii
is possible that more than half
of the 100 US. colleges and
universities will have some part
of their faculty and plant devot-
ed to this work. the federal gov
ernment paying the bill.
The demand is for engineers
teachers. doctors. meteorologists,
accountants, government admins
traitors. chemists, electricians and
specialists of all sorts to take top
Jobs. above the level of foremen.
The foremen, the skilled machine
operators and the craftsmen can be
given the necessary training in
trade schools and thousands
of workmen are being upl
graded for these jobs through the
training within industry short
courses of the War ManpoWer
Commission and regular state vo-
cational aid from the us. Office
of Education.
For jobs above the trade and fac
tory level, however, industries are
now beginning to report they can't
find qualified technicianS. machine
designers, men for chemical re-
search, electrical engineers with
specialized knowledge of some of
the new radio equipment, engi-
neers of all kinds, teachers compe-
tent to give instruction in mathe-
MATES and the sciences. How many
of each of these specialized tech
nicians will be needed by the war
industries, management itself does
not know. But the problem is now
being studied by a special COM
mittee of educators, industrialistS
and Army and Navy officers. DR..
Edward c. Elliott, president of
Purdue, is chairman.
Two main problems confront
this committee. The first is to
induce qualified young men and
women to take this training. The
temptation of all youngsters now
in high school is to quit school
and get one of these high-pay
war jobs Immediately, instead of
completing high school and go
ing on for another year or so of
IIStltT cuuCdtlOD. diSO, tHt
youngsters taking this civilian
training will in all probability
have to be mixed in with the
uniformed students of the serv-
ices. Will the students in civil
liam clothes feel they are at a
disadvantage?
The second major problem is to
provide the civilian students with
adequate financial aid for concen-
trated, year-round courses. With
no spare time in which to work,
many would be financially unable
to take this training. Student loans
would have TO be provided.
All such proposals are still in
the think stage in Washington, and
they have yet to be shaped into
definite plans and submitted to the
Bureau of the Budget and Congress
for approval. Two government prof.
ectS already in force, however, make
start in the direction outlined
Office of Education is now spend
ing $50 million a year financing
technical training of some 100000
students at a time in 200 colleges
and universities. This was begun in
October, 1910, and has been reSpon-
sible for placing many young
technicians in war industry man