Industry and the Public Schools Sta.—In his article in your
issue of April 18th Mr. Lewis says that State schools are no longer producing those fit to become managers and leaders in industry. He quotes, as his authority, that the men at present in command, "at or near retiring age," cannot pick out, from among their latest recruits, those who will occupy their shoes in a few decades' time. That does not surprise me; who would have picked Mr. Churchill as future Prime Minister when he had just left school ? In any case, is it not rather a familiar phenomenon, this habit of old men imagining that "the young fellow of today is not what he was in my young days," &c., &c. ?
Mr. Lewis goes on to ask why the determination to rise to the top by a "combination of guts and ability . . . is so visibly lacking among the younger generation." Is it ? Who says so ? Mr. Lewis lf so, how does he measure this quality ? I was amused to read your corres- pondent E. E. R. Thorpe's letter on this point. He does not for a moment question Mr. Lewis's statements, but advances as the reason that State-schoolchildren are now fairly well fed and provided for. Does he thereby imply that public schoolboys are not ?
Mr. Harry Newman, in an article in The Times Review of Industry for February. 1952, quotes a wealth of facts and figures about those at present training for management. I will here quote just a short extract: "This year it is estimated that 4,000 or more students are reading for their Ministry of Education and British Institute of Manage- ment Common Intermediate Certificate. From 41 colleges, approved for the certificate in 1948-49, the number rose to 56 in 1949-50, and last year reached 65, with an additional 15 colleges seeking approval of their courses. In a survey for 1948-49 of 120 technical colleges . . . it was noted that over 18,000 part-time day and evening students were taking either general commercial or profes- sional courses out of a total enrolment of 63,137."
Part-time, that is the point. Are we lacking in determination ? I suggest that when we have finished, with our knowledge of industry from the '' inside " such as Mr. Lewis's protégés can never acquire from accelerated courses, we shall be in a very good position to take up the challenge that he keeps talking about.—Yours, &c.,
46 Lynwood Road, Redhill, Surrey. KENNETH R. PATRICK.
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