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Show What About The High School Graduate Of Today - Do They Measure Up To Grads Of Mom's & Dad's Time? What about the high school graduates of today? Are they as up-and-coming in their blue jeans and saddle shoes as those of us who finished school twenty, thirty thir-ty years ago? Spencer C. Heiner, manager of the Vernal office of the Utah State Employment Service, has no doubts on the subject.. He says they are. Furthermore, he's inclined in-clined to go even further and say that today's graduates are more alert and better equipped to face the world than their parents were at the same age. What heresy! And what price those rose-colored glasses and nos-talegic nos-talegic memories! Why, I remember remem-ber back when I was a kid. . . All of us do. But when you talk to Mr. Heiner, you begin to realize re-alize that today's graduates have had advantages an older generation genera-tion never had. And when he talks about graduates and jobs in the same breath, you begin to see how these kids are coming out of school with their eyes wide open, with a better knowledge of this world we live in and, most important of all, a clear idea of what they want to do. "If there's any fault to be found with them," says Manager Heiner, "it's their natural desire to go to work right away. To be sure, there are plenty of jobs. Pay is a little higher too. But if youngsters young-sters could just hold off a little longer and invest a little more time in extra training, it would pay. off big when the time came to look for a job. "Even if a youngster doesn't want to go to college, he couldn't make a better investment than to spend a few months in a good business bus-iness college or to take a few courses in a technical school, at night if necessary." Pointing out that high school graduates in the nation will reach a high point this June of 1,400,000, Mr. Heiner predicts that industry will be able to absorb most who are looking for jobs.. He said, however, how-ever, that the best jobs would go to those who prepped up on the needs of industry insofar as new workers are concerned. More than ever, employers are looking for adaptability on the part of applicants appli-cants and, with so many to choose from, are picking those with the better grades and the most preparation pre-paration following their high school graduation. For college graduates the outlook out-look is most promising. With the number of college graduates the smallest since 1950, diploma recipients re-cipients no longer need to accept jobs "for experience." Young engineers, en-gineers, for instance, can look forward for-ward to offers of $400 a month, while even higher offers for top graduates are not unusual. Rewards Re-wards are equally high for those who graduate in law, medicine, finance, fi-nance, science business administration adminis-tration and many other fields, Mr. Heiner declared. While graduation time is an old story to the Employment Service, it is one that never loses interest. Each year the various schools are visited by members of the local staff. Prospective graduates are interviewed, in-terviewed, given their first glimpse into the business world. Questions about jobs and job opportunities are answered. Against every question, "Where can I get a job?" the Employment Service counters with "what can you do?" What do you have to offer the employer? Just what do you want to do?" This leads often to employment counseling, to testing test-ing of abilities and aptitudes. Out of it all comes facts and near facts information that enables the Employment Service to do an intelligent in-telligent job of placement. What about those who will graduate this June? Mr. Heiner estimates es-timates that in round numbers 200 new workers will be seeking jobs after the diplomas are handed out. Of these, 15 will be looking for typists and clerical jobs, 120 will seek to qualify as trainees and production workers, while 65 more will want jobs in distribution and service industries-Is industries-Is job-finding the greatest service ser-vice offered to graduates by the State Employment office? Manager Heiner says it isn't. He believes that its ability to impart knowledge know-ledge of the local labor market to the graduate and to give him the perspective he needs to make the proper start is even more important. import-ant. Talking to Mr. Heiner you get the idea he is just a mite envious of this year's graduates- envious of their advantages and their youth, and highly optimistic of their chances to succeed in whatever what-ever they set 'out to do. Personally, you may think that your generation had more on the ball, but don't confide that to Mr. Heiner. He won't believe you. He thinks that today's graduates are much smarter than their parents were at the same age. Or did we say that before? |
