Evening star., 1948-02-28
School Boards
Apprenticeship
Standards .Hif
Council Says Efforts
Undermined by 81
Substundord Truinine
By Colt HendIey. Jr,

By Colt HendIey, Jr.
The District Apprenticeship coun.
Gil has charged the Board of Educa-
ton with undermining its efforts
to maintain minimum standards for
apprentices in trades here by ap-
proving substandard shops for
CT training.
In its annual report, sent to the
Commissioners yesterday, the Coun-
Gil charged the school board had ap-
proved shops for on-the-job train.
ing which do not meet the stand.
ards set up for the training OF ap-
|prentices. Some 100 businesses.
most of them employing one or two
apprentices, are involved.
School supt. Hobart NJ. Corning
admitted the councils complaint
over board certif1cation of shops
came to his attention last Septem-
ber, but he threw the problem into
the lap of the Commissioners and
Corporation Counsel Vernon E.
West.
Legal Interpretation Awaited.
s"The board and school officials
feel there is some conflict between
the District apprenticeship law and
the CT Bill of Rights" DR.. Corning
explained. 1--WE asked for an liter
probation from the Corporation
Counsel's office and, until we get 1t,
will continue our present policy"
Mr.. West, in turn, said the mat
ter had been referred to Assistant
CORPORATION Counsel L. F. Dante,
who has been tied up with other
assignments.
Here's what the argument is
about:
The District Apprenticeship Cour-
Gil maintains that the approximate
ly 500 trades which the Labor De-
partment recognizes as trades re-
quiring apprenticeships OF from
four to six years, should be under
its jurisdiction. The council main
tains standards in these trades. Ap.
prentices, to get credit for their
time, must work in shops certified
by them. After the apprenticeship
is completed, the man Is qualf1ed
iourneyman in his trade.
But when a shop cannot meet,
or will not meet, the councils stand
ards for training, it often gets ap-
proval from the Board of Education
for "on-the-job training" under the
CT bill of rights, the council main
tains.
Exploitation Seen.
The result is exploitation" OF the
man working at his apprenticeship
because after he has completed two
years of GI training in a shop re-
garded as "substandard" by the
council, he stands little chance OF
getting a job where that time will
count as apprenticeship time.
The majority Of the individual
firms seeking certification from the
Board of Education for .on-the- Job
training of veterans are In these 500
trades, DR.. Corning explained.
"The CT Bill of Rights gives the
veteran certain rights" DR.. Corning
continued. ITO acceed to the view
point of the Council would be
determining for the veteran that
he must become an apprentice. The
GI Bill of Rights gives the veteran
the right of training without being
an apprentice"
The Councils stand, as explained
by Milton r. Stevens, chairman, is
Ikhat shops in those trades requiring
from four to six years apprentice
ship must come under the Council
for certification. The 16,500 trades
that require two years or less of
apprenticeship should come under
the Board Of Education, he said.
The Council recommended that
the Commissioners prevail" on the
Board of Education to refer to the
Council all requests from District
establishments for certification,
which come in the 500 trades
recognized as needing apprentices.
Other Recommendations.
In other recommendations, the
Council asked:
That the Commissioners explore
the possibility of providing office
space for the director of apprentice
ships, Gino Simi, in the Municipal.
Center. The report pointed out
that, to develop and maintain an
adequate apprenticeship program in
the District, the director must meet
with more than IS groups period
ically and needs adequate quarters!
That one or more qualified field
workers be provided by the District
Government. At present, the local
staff is provided by the Labor De-
partment.
That facilities for instruction Of
apprentices now offered by the
public schools in night classes be
expanded.
During 1947, 982 apprentices were
registered by the council and cer-
tiflcates of completion of apprentices
ships went to 80 persons. There are
now 1,50O District firms with ap-
premiership programs certified by
the council, and 80 per cent Of the
apprentices registered are veterans.
This number of registered ap-
prentices may well be the largest
number" in any State last year, the
report said.
The report estimated that to con-
tinue normal peacetime building,
the trades must have between 10000
and A., 1000 skilled artisans constantly
available in more than so apprentice
trades.
defendant Wears
||StoIen Suit for
| Il