| OCR Text |
Show They'v. Put Youth to Work PROBABLY the nation' foremost domestic problem today i unemployment. Student Of the question are agreed that one of the most " Important phases of that problem I employment employ-ment of the nation' youth at useful and productive pro-ductive work. That youth employment problem wa brought to the attention of Utah recently at two Important meeting. First wa the "Build Utah" conference of the Utah Manufacturer' association held in Salt Lake City. A major objective in the "Build Utah" drive I the creation of Job opportunities for the Mate' youth, and seversl speakers at the conference tressed that need. Second meeting was that of the state educational aurvey committee held at the capitol. Vocational education wa the topic of discussion, with general agreement that youth employment wa the Joint problem " of Industry and the school and that vocationaT education may help youth to find Job. At neither of these meetings, despite the Interest In-terest manifested in the broad problem, wa any concrete program for helping youth to find a place for Itself in modern America formulated. At least one section of America, however, baa worked out a positive plan for helping youth to find Job. A ifumber of southern states have what are called cooperative training programs pro-grams for Junior and senior high school student, stu-dent, which have had considerable success. The story of this youth program, a told in the March Forum magazine, i interesting. Today in 250 southern communitle in 12 southern state, some 5000 upperclass high school student spend their morning in the classroom and their afternoon working, under careful supervision, in various businesses and Industrie. Each student in addition to hi regular elascwork has to learn about the particular business or vocation in which he Is training. He studies it history, Its policies, Its new development. develop-ment. The student-worker are psld by their employers em-ployers anywhere from $3 to $9 a week. Officials Offi-cials called coordinator (there are 350 of them hired to direct the training program in the 250 southern communities) arrange for the Job, sea that the right youth are put In the right Jobs, that they are getting worthwhile training and not being exploited, that they take an interest in-terest In their Job and make the most of the opportunity. i .Tha U. fL department of education cooper-ate cooper-ate with the program, helping to finance it. The American Federation of Labor ba approved ap-proved tha program and labor leader are on the advisory committee. School authorities, business men. civic leaders are all enthusiastic Tha record of the cooperative training program pro-gram speaks for Itself. In Jacksonville, Fla, where tt started in 1933, 700 young people have completed such training. Of those TOO more than 90 per cent have jobs or are in college; not one ha ever come up for delinquency. Most business men who employ these youths a apprentices welcome them as full-time employes. em-ployes. Of 196 co-op graduate in Alabama towns, IS are still working where they were trained and 64 more have jobs In the same general field. Seven of tha 15 accountants of a motor bus line were former co-op students. The executive of an Insurance company said: "That high school kid knows more about this firm than most of the regular employe." , There's something so simple about this ' youth employment program that it's Intriguing. Instead of talking about the need for finding Job for youth, and shaking their head in dismay over the magnitude of the problem, these southern communitle have gone put and actually DONE SOMETHING, even though in a small way, to put youth to work. And, after all, that must be the solution of the problem. All we have to do is just PUT YOUTH TO WORK. One at a time, a dozen at a time, or a thousand at a time. It isn't the numerical total that' so Important as the effort, ef-fort, and the encouragement, and the actual accompliahtnent of something tangible in the drive to create for the youth of America today useful role in society. |
