Youth in Industry

Abstract

IN THE BRIEF time available it is impossible to deal with such a large subject except in a series of birds-eye flashes. matter will be dealt with from the stand-point of the main duties of an A.F.D. in relation to young people. An A.F.D. has the statutory duty to examine young people on taking their first employment, every time they change employment and once a year up to the age of 18 if they remain in the same employment. If considered advisable the firm may be instructed to submit the young person for a special examination after a stated period of months or weeks. A.F.D. is required to satisfy himself that the conditions of work are suitable for the individual youngster. Notes for Guidance of A.F.D's, issued by the Ministry of Labour and National Service (Form 723: 1948), state: The examination is not intended to be one for the purpose of discovering defects with a view to remedy, although with the co-operation of the young person's own doctor much might be done in this direction. My own position as an A.F.D. is unusually fortunate in that in January 1952,1 became a parttime School Medical Officer and obtained the services of a secretary seconded from the Youth Employment Service. This has allowed free access to School Medical Records and the records of the Youth Employment Office. I have been much indebted to both services for friendly help and essential information not otherwise obtainable. In all medical work adequate records are of course essential and without secretarial- assistance my work would have been very greatly handicapped. In view of the most unsatisfactory position regarding the notification of young people for examination, secretarial assistance has been quite indispensable. With this help 95 per cent of potential examinations are made, while in the country as a whole the figure is about 60 per ceni. I see about 1,000 boys and 700 girls a year and make a total of about 2,000 medical examinations. main findings of the investigation into the problems of young people at work which I started • Given at a meeting of the London Group on 12th March, 1958. in March 1950, were published under the title Youth at Work First where do the young people in the factories come from? 11+ and 13+ examinations undoubtedly take the greater part of the intellectually able and those who are natural leaders among the youngsters. That is an important point to remember, because it may to some extent explain the finding of the Services as well as industry, that so many of the boys lack initiative and self-reliance. It is an interesting point that the boys meet again, often with valuable results, during National Service. girls remain apart. Few grammar school boys are seen and very few from the girls' high school or technical school. technical school boys form the elite among the apprentices. apprentice equivalent among the girls go into shops and offices. All the children before leaving school have had a brief encounter with the Youth Employment Officer but this by its very timing and duration makes any vocational guidance in the true sense of the word almost impossible. By this time the majority of boys and girls have decided, with the aid of friends and relations, more or less what they will try and often where they will start. Youth Employment Service is primarily of aid in placing and here gives much valuable assistance. Over the country as a whole there is apparently very little co-operation between the Y.E.S. and the A.F.D. In fact the Ince Report on which the present Y.E.S. is based did not even mention the A.F.D. medical information at the disposal of the Y.E.O. is gained from forms Y.9 or Y.10. Form Y.9 lists certain activities, lifting, standing etc. which the youngster should not do but gives no medical details. Form Y.10 can only be filled in with the signed permission of the parents and gives details of the disability. This procedure is usually the prelude to entry on the Disabled Register. Owing to the ease with which employment could be obtained in the last decade very few youngsters were put on the Disabled Register. 1 Max Parish: 1957. 146