4. THE SAN DIEGO JUNIOR COLLEGE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STATE SYSTEM In lieu of general information about the statewide program, it seems more appropriate to describe in some detail the specific program of the San Diego Junior College. A. Administration and support The San Diego Junior College is a public junior college operated by the Board of Education of the San Diego City Schools. It currently enrolls nearly 3,000 full-time students and 6,000 part-time students. It serves not only the San Diego school district but also the surrounding metropolitan area and suburban communities as an area technical school. More than one-fourth of those enrolled reside outside of the San Diego school district. Approximately one-third of the full-time students are enrolled in 2-year curriculums preparing for specific employment in technical, semiprofessional and skilled occupations. Almost half of the part-time students are employees in industry who are seeking to improve and advance themselves in skilled and technical occupations. All of these curriculums and courses are operated in accordance with the State and Federal Vocational-education plans and receive support from Smith-Hughes and GeorgeBarden funds. Total Federal vocational-education funds received last year equaled $46,618.07 against the junior college operating budget of $1,560,644. B. Cooperation with industry, labor and management All training for technical and skilled occupations in the San Diego Junior College is established and operated with the cooperation and assistance of 64 advisory committees, including both employers and employees. Many of these committees meet monthly. Local industries are closely involved and deeply concerned with the training programs. For example, at their request, each of the four major local aircraft companies is sent, each semester, a report on each employee enrolled in a part-time technical curriculum, showing the course attended and grades. This information becomes a part of the employee's record. Attached as appendix A is an article from the September 1955 issue of the Aerohrcrafter, the Rohr Aircraft Co. publication, describing one phase of the San Diego Junior College program. Most instructors in the part-time evening classes are employed in industry during the day and have been selected and recommended by industry to teach these classes. C. Electronic technician training in San Diego As previously stated, the San Diego Junior College enrolls approximately 1,000 full-time day students in programs providing specific preparation for technical and skilled employment, and nearly 3,000 part-time students in evening classes in skilled and technical occupations. Classes operate from 2 a. m. to 10 p. m., with most of shops and classrooms in full use, day and evening. In order to accommodate the huge part-time enrollment, the San Diego Junior College also utilizes facilities of several of the city high schools in the evening and offers classes in industrial plants where employees can attend after their workday is completed. Because of the well-know and critical need for electronics technicians, a detailed breakdown of the courses and enrollment in this field is provided: FULL-TIME DAY PROGRAM There are four specialized curriculums offered in the electronics technicians training: General (research and manufacturing) electronics Industrial electronics Electronic communications Radio and television There are currently 170 full-time students enrolled in these four curriculums. PART-TIME EVENING PROGRAM These same four curriculums are available during the evening on a part-time basis for persons already employed in the electronic field as semiskilled workers or assemblers. Five classes are offered enrolling 127 persons. In addition, introductory, specialized, and in-plant classes in electronics offered by the San Diego Junior College include the following: Added to the 5 classes for the electronics technical institute, this totals 25 classes enrolling 663 persons. Similar statistics could be provided for areas such as tool design, tool planning, inspection, aircraft manufacturing, drafting, and engineering technician. Enrollment in these fields has literally exploded in the past few years and the demands continue to increase. D. Projected expansion in electronics training Because the San Diego Junior College just moved in September 1956 into a new $1,600,000 plant, it has been possible so far to keep up with student demands and expanding placement opportunities. Next year, however, there should be provided training for 100 to 125 additional full-time students, primarily in general (research and manufacturing) electronics. This will require an additional laboratory or shop. By operating these shops up to 8 hours per day, 4 day classes can be accommodated, as well as evening classes 5 nights per week. In the evening part-time program, an expansion of 21 electronics classes, enrolling an additional 525 students, is projected for next year. E. Need for additional equipment In order to illustrate the costs of expanding technical education, the following detailed list of the equipment required for an additional general electronics laboratory is presented: SAN DIEGO JUNIOR COLLEGE Equipment and material for general (research and manufacturing) electronics laboratory : Capacitance-resistance bridge and analyzers, at $71.50. 143 Communications receiver, AM. 224 Lecture demonstration unit (similar to Philco trainer) include 12 laboratory circuit anal- 7,344 Electronic switch. 149 Decade boxes, resistance, at $50. 150 3 Decade boxes, capacitance, at $50. 150 3 Decade boxes, inductance, at $50 150 Miscellaneous etched and printed circuit material. 250 Miscellaneous electronic components (wire, vacuum tubes, coils, condensers, trans- Miscellaneous hand tools (drill press, soldering irons, screwdrivers, etc.). Total... 900 250 760 950 650 197 390 950 750 170 138 730 6,500 40,603 Similar expansion of facilities is needed in the other technical training fields such as tool planning, tool design, and engineering technician training. Specific equipment needs which must be met to provide the expanded programs include a technical testing laboratory, estimated at $80,000, and drafting rooms, estimated at $10,000 each for equipment alone. 5. INDUSTRY'S DEMAND FOR TECHNICIANS One of the most important and challenging aspects of the current industrial revolution to education is the greatly increasing proportion of engineers and technicians required to man the modern plant. This trend can be vividly illustrated in San Diego. The junior college staff, on March 4, 1958, asked 5 major local employers engaged in critical defense production to provide information on the proportional employment in their plants of engineers, technicians, and factory workers. The following definition was used by the plants to identify technicians: THE TECHNICIAN "The technician is a person who works at a job which requires applied technical knowledge and applied technical skills. His work, in this respect, is somewhat akin to that of the engineer, but usually the scope is narrower. His job also requires some manipulation skills-those necessary to handle properly the tools and instruments needed to perform the technical tasks. In his field he has considerable technical knowledge of industrial processes, and in his field he knows how to apply the necessary principles of the physical sciences and mathematics. In general, he uses instruments, in contrast to tools. His contribution is mainly through mental effort in contrast with muscular exertion." (Bulletin No. 1131, U. S. Department of Labor.) The chart below presents in summary form the information obtained from these 5 plants, showing for each 1,000 total employees the number of engineers and the number of technicians: Number of engineers and technicians in each 1,000 total employees Appendix B includes advertisements clipped from the San Diego morning paper of March 4, 1958, and shows the continuing need for engineers and technicians in the face of generally declining factory employment. Because of the current reductions in employment of factory workers, there is an increased interest in full-time training and an expansion of junior college enrollment. The present situation offers an excellent opportunity for expanded full-time training to meet critical current and future manpower shortages. It is encouraging to note the progress these plants have made in utilizing technicians to help meet the critical shortages of engineers. Further progress would be achieved if fully adequate training for technicians could be provided. Nearly all of the plants have utilized formal in-plant training programs to develop technicians, in addition to the full-time and part-time programs of the San Diego Junior College. The most impressive information from this chart is the comparison of the astronautics plant with the other four. Here is the missile plant, home of the Atlas, now employing 200 engineers and 180 technicians in each 1,000 workers and moving toward an ultimate employment of approximately one technician or engineer for each other employee. To a great extent, this is the future pattern of our missile and electronic industry and shows the urgency of expanded technician training. These 5 plants, currently employing nearly 50,000 persons, now require 7,000 technicians. The proportion or ratio of these workers is increasing. It seems evident that in San Diego, at least, the training of technicians is an important and continuing task, essential to our defense production efforts. Further promotion and expansion of vocational-technical education to meet these needs is of paramount concern, not only to the local community but to the Nation as a whole. It is worth noting that for Soviet industry as a whole the number of trained engineers and technicians per 1,000 production workers over the 20-year period from 1930 to 1950 increased more than fourfold. The DeWitt report describes a ratio of technicians to engineers in industry as 17 to 10 and notes that, for 1950, in certain branches of machine building, the number of engineering-technical personnel per 1,000 production workers exceeded 200. 6. COOPERATION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN SAN DIEGO The San Diego Junior College, the San Diego State College, and the University of California, through its extension division, have clearly defined their respective responsibilities for education and training in the engineering and technical occupations in the San Diego area. The San Diego Junior College has the responsibility for the technician's training. Appended is a recent bulletin jointly published by these three educational agencies, describing the opportunities for advancement in engineering and technical fields through part-time evening classes and illustrating the scope of offerings and the cooperation which exists. 7. ADMINISTRATION OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION All of the programs of training for technicians and skilled workers provided in the San Diego Junior College-full time and part time—are operated under the State and Federal plans for vocational education. The patterns, policies, and procedures which have been established under these authorities are effective and flexible enough to provide for the development of programs and courses designed to meet local needs but also conforming to desirable State and National standards. Federal funds administered under the State and Federal Boards for Vocational Education can be made available, not only to high schools, but also to all types of post-high-school institutions including junior colleges and even 4-year colleges engaged in the training of technicians and skilled workers. The critical need is for additional funds for increasing the proportion of Federal support and aid and for the purchase and replacement of equipment and materials for technical education programs. Approximately $600,000 of the $1,560,444 annual budget of the San Diego Junior College is spent for the training of skilled and technical workers. Less than $50,000 of this budget is provided from the present Federal acts for vocational education. No Federal funds are available for the purchase or replacement of equipment, a major item and problem in providing adequate technical education. 8. SUMMARY In California, the responsibility for the training of technicians has been placed in the public junior colleges. In San Diego, the junior college, operating all of its technical training under the State and Federal plans for vocational education, is providing an effective program of training for technical workers for industries critical to our national defense effort. The 5 major aircraft and missile plants in San Diego already employ 7,000 technicians and the number and proportion is increasing. To this must be added the technical workers in the naval electronics laboratory, the naval air station, the National Steel & Shipbuilding Co., and the scores of small electronics manufacturers and subcontractors. In order to meet current and anticipated demands for technically trained workers, the San Diego Junior College must greatly expand its program, providing additional facilities, equipment, and materials. Increased Federal support for operating costs and for equipment and materials will make it possible to provide this expansion and to meet in San Diego one of the most critical manpower problems facing our defense plants. In the State and Federal Boards for Vocational Education there now exists the machinery and procedures for effective distribution of these additional Federal funds for the promotion and expansion of technical education at any level of education, but primarily in the junior or community colleges and techni cal schools throughout the Nation. It is our hope that this information will be of assistance to the committee in the review of the proposed legislation. The San Diego Junior College will be willing to provide additional information and to assist in any way the efforts of the committee in order that appropriate action may be taken as soon as possible. INSUFFICIENT PREPARATION IN READING The CHAIRMAN. I note with interest, in your schedule of classes, courses in techniques of reading. Mr. PATRICK. Yes; that is correct. The CHAIRMAN. Courses in English review, reading, writing, and thinking. It is all very interesting. We have had quite a bit of testimony before this committee on the insufficiency, shall we say, of a number of students when it comes to reading English. You have a good many students in these courses. Mr. PATRICK. Yes, sir; we do. We run a comprehensive junior college, and this technical education program is only one part of it. We also offer a few 2-year lower division programs which students can qualify for juniors in college. |