Part 2

ALVIN E. DODD, National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education, 140 West 42d Street, New York City.

Training for War Industries, which was heretofore developed under the SECTION ON INDUSTRIAL TRAINING of the Council of National Defense, has been taken over by the

TRAINING AND DILUTION SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 618 17TH ST., N. W. WASHINGTON, D. C.

to whom all correspondence should be addressed.

Executive Committee.

Chairman.

INTENSIVE TRAINING OF UNSKILLED WORKERS AS A MEANS OF OVERCOMING LABOR SHORTAGE

The Committee on Labor, Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense, of which Samuel Gompers is chairman, authorizes the following from the Official Bulletin of August 14:

The grave situation of shortage of labor (it now being estimated that there is a shortage of 250,000 skilled workers) is being met by a new quick method of training operatives. All over the country, day by day, one factory after another falls into line and puts in a training department to train its own people—the same sort of quick, intensive-training plan to meet the same sort of situation which the regulations in France prescribe for every manufacturer employing 300 people or more, and the English ministry of munitions requires in its contracts for materials. And the situation must be met in greater degree and substantially all factories must train their workers if the 750,000 new skilled workers which the country needs by January 1 are skilled and efficient and standing at their job by that time.

Note: September 30, now estimated 500,000.

PROVED BY THE FACTORIES

To-day 100 important factories making war orders are proving that it is possible to train their own men. They do not assume to teach a worker a whole trade in the brief time available. They do teach him by the methods of the training department how to master one process or one machine in a few weeks or a few days. These 100 factories are spending, or preparing to spend, at the rate of $1,500,000 solely in this business of intensive training of new workers. This training investment is not an expense, as the training is immediately upon production and the product from the training room is expected to equal that in the factory. All the training departments mentioned are on a production basis at all times, with speed and accuracy as the watchword.

Note: September 30, now 200.

DECLARATION OF POLICY

One year ago that section of the committee on labor of the Council of National Defense which has been instrumental in developing the training department or vestibule schools above noted recorded the following as its declaration of policy:

“The Section on Industrial Training for the War Emergency is concerned with industrial training only as a war measure. It is not concerned with vocational education in general. In all cases in the existing crisis shortage of labor must be met first by training operatives from allied trades who are unemployed and by advancing operatives of ability from lower to higher positions in the occupation itself. For instance, apprentices should be advanced rather than outsiders. It is possible that many sewing women will be without work, and many men in the building trades. For all such, new and fitting places must be developed where possible. Non-wage earners must not be trained to take places for which unemployed wage earners may reasonably be trained.”

At the same time the section on industrial training stated the following to be its plan and scope:

1. Increased use of the public vocational schools through the co-operation of local manufacturers. This is being done very fortunately in Worcester, Bridgeport and some other cities.

2. Introduce new workers, men and women, into industry through these schools.

3. Arrange for the training of present mechanics and others in existing workrooms in connection with regular production, and by more scientific procedure than heretofore.

4. As of particular importance, act as a clearing house, that the judgment and experience, good and bad, in each locality may be available to all.

The section on industrial training, a part of the welfare division of the committee on labor, is composed of one-third representatives of labor, one-third employers and one-third experts in factory training. State committees similarly organized have been developed where war products are being made. There are at present nine associate branch committees of the section on industrial training, which are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New England, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

KEEPING CHECK ON TRAINING

The section recommends three checks on the factory training department, to be made daily by report:

1. How many operatives are sent into the factory? (If this were the only test they might be sent in too fast and only partly trained.)

2. Cost, net, after crediting production which should equal the shop average.

3. Wastage.—There should be none. There should be 100 per cent. Government inspection.

These training departments, because of the thorough training given, have yielded from 10 to 40 per cent. increase in production, both for men and women, and the labor turnover has been reduced materially thereby.