To stimulate effort and arouse interest in training the idle and potential workers in each community, as well as to facilitate the up-grading of the old operatives, the sectional chairman has traveled from one manufacturing center to another for the past 12 months, addressing leading metal, machine-tool, and other manufacturers’ associations. He has also actually assisted in the establishment of vestibule Training Departments in the plants.
Both single shops and great industrial communities are acting upon the advice of this section, which will furnish experts for investigation and planning upon request.
PRATT INSTITUTE’S NATIONAL SERVICE COURSES IN MACHINE WORK
As a contribution to industrial training for the war emergency, Pratt Institute is conducting day and evening courses in Machine Work, which have been especially organized to serve the present need for increased productive efficiency in this country’s machine shops. These courses are designed to aid ambitious machine shop workers of limited development, including machine operators, bench hands and machinists’ helpers, who wish to extend and broaden their practical ability as a means to personal advancement in the trade, increased earning power and fuller service to production. Pratt Institute’s Machine Shop has been continuously employed to maximum capacity for this instruction since the entry of the United States into the war.
The Machine Work comprises six graded courses, each of which requires for its completion six weeks, if taken as a full-time day course, seven hours per day, or if taken as an evening course, twenty-four weeks, three evenings per week, two hours per evening. Day students register and pay tuition for six weeks, and evening students for twelve weeks. New classes are started at frequent intervals. A student may start in any course for which he is qualified, and may enroll for additional courses, either consecutively, or at some later time, if he finds it desirable to withdraw temporarily. Students are permitted also to transfer at any time from the day to the evening course or vice versa, with full credit for work already performed.
The instruction is adapted to the individual. Men capable of following directions without excessive damage to material or equipment are put on productive work. Men who have not reached this degree of efficiency are commonly assigned exercises. About 75 per cent. of the work is productive. Production is introduced as a means to greater efficiency in training.
Courses in Wooden Boat and Shipbuilding, Marine Engineering, Gasoline Engine Maintenance and Operation, Machine Drawing and Design, Ship Drafting, Chemical Laboratory Practice, in addition to an extensive list of day and evening trade and technical courses, all of which are of special service in the war emergency, are being conducted.
(Signed) Samuel S. Edmands.
Pratt Institute’s Machine Shop has been employed to capacity since our entry into the war.