The eighth decade 1970-1979
Student Profiles Industry Profiles
This was the decade that saw the voting age lowered to 18, the end of war in Vietnam and the introduction of coloured television. This was also the decade when the status of ‘education for all’ in Australia was raised to new levels.
‘Unrestricted access’ was the catchcry for education in response to the Whitlam Labor Government’s Kangan Report, 1974.
Attitudinal, physical and financial barriers were addressed through the development of equity programs that gave new hope to Aboriginal people, women, handicapped people, country students and migrants. Australian Parliamentary Debates, House of Representatives Weekly Hansard, No. 5 pp1339-1343
The first Aboriginal College in the metropolitan area became part of Midland Technical School, laying the foundation for a range of specific courses for Aboriginal students. A special course for unemployed youth was set up, while university entrance could be gained through completing a range of Leaving subjects.
‘Meeting people’s needs, not just the needs of industry’ was another key issue that arose from the Kangan Report. While hobby classes had been part of technical education at Midland since the School’s formation, adult education expanded dramatically during the 1970s. The Adult Education Board, which had originally been under the University of WA came under the Technical Education Division and fees were abolished. Classes at Midland included Cake Decorating, Bark Pictures, Dressmaking, Ballroom Dancing, Guitar and Organ playing, Conversational Italian, French and German and Upholstery. Demand for Upholstery was so great that lecturer, Meryl Crukshank had to be employed full time. Midland’s reputation for upholstery classes, which were mainly attended by women, became a threat to ‘official’ upholsterers.
The rapid development of technology and science that continued during this decade spawned whole new areas of training, particularly in electronics. A super type of technical school: The Western Australian Institute of Technology had been planned in the 1960s to take over associateship level training from the ordinary technical schools. It’s brief:
‘producing men who have a good basic understanding of theoretical principles but whose major interests and talents lie in the immediate application of this knowledge to present problems and whose training has accordingly placed an emphasis on the mastery of techniques’. Tertiary Education in Western Australia (The Jackson Report), 1967 pp84-85.
Regular technical schools including Midland offered certificates and diplomas. The first Laboratory Assistants course was offered at Midland in 1979 at a Certificate 1 and Certificate 11 level.
Despite the limited status of qualifications, technical schools, particularly Midland with its Western Australian Government Railway partnership, produced some of the most innovative people in Australia.
Ralph Sarich, one of Midland Technical School’s most famous railway apprentices (who still made up the bulk of the Technical School) was named Inventor of the year in 1972. His first significant invention, before the development of his orbital engine was a large earth-moving scoop. This type of equipment was in high demand to meet the needs of the mining industry. One Hundred and Sixty Years of News from the West Australian
During the 1970s the mining industry overtook the rural industry in supporting Western Australia’s economy. The rapid development of infrastructure for the iron ore towns and ports in the North West created a high demand for a skilled workforce. Western Australia: An Atlas of Human Endeavour 1929-1979 Education Committee WAY ’79.
Trades became more specialised - advanced welding techniques were called for, diesel mechanics were needed for the huge iron ore locomotives and specialised skills for electricians were required to cope with new demands in refrigeration and air-conditioning. Plumbers too were in great demand - Plumbing was extended to include a separate certificate for gas installations with the increased use of natural gas from the North West.
A large proportion of the State’s trained workforce had undergone their apprenticeships through government departments. Until the 1980s all state government departments trained many more apprentices than were required for their own operations in order to ensure a continual supply of tradesmen for industry. The number of apprenticeships in the state doubled as a result of developments of the North West.
The Railways, particularly through the Midland Workshops, provided the largest training ground. During the 1970s approximately 700 apprentices at various stages of apprenticeships in 22 trades were based at the Midland Workshops. Much of the theory component for this trade-training was provided by Midland Technical School. ‘Block release’ for apprentices for a three-month period became common practice during the 1970s, in conjunction with fortnightly attendance at technical school.
The Technical Education Division was involved in the selection of apprentices, along with Union and Railway representation. Standardised testing administered by the Division’s psychologists was utilised to narrow down applicant numbers that at times reached 2000. Eight hundred would be interviewed for approximately 200 new apprenticeships each year. It was through this role that Les Scannell became Chairman of the Selection Board. His Technical Education background enabled him to standardise and simplify selection processes, which were then utilised by other government departments and private companies.
The Railways provided the practical component of
training for their apprentices. During the 1970s special apprenticeship schools
were established under the direction of Master of Apprentices, Bill Kirkham. 
These apprenticeship schools were also utilised by other government departments.
Apprentices competed for awards both within the Workshops and by representing
the Western Australian Government Railways in other states. Every three months
they were moved to a new part of the Workshops, or to other railway depots to
extend their training experience. This evolved from the British tradition of
progressing the apprentice through different work experiences from an ‘improver’
to ‘journeyman’ - a fully competent tradesman. However, by the end of the
decade, this system of training, although thorough and effective, came to be
viewed as a costly exercise by decision-makers.
During the 1970s pre-apprenticeship courses were introduced where students could attend technical education classes full time for a period of 12 months.
Midland began its pre-apprentice class in Carpentry and Joinery in 1972. Most apprenticeships were reduced from five years to three years because of the additional training. Training adult apprentices to meet demand was also a feature at that time. The concept of adult training provided for a concentrated course of technical education training with a fixed period of on-the-job training. An adult apprentice received a full wage, which was subsidised by the government until the person was trained to the standard of a qualified tradesman. This practice sometimes created resentment in the workforce from those who had completed five years on a reduced apprenticeship wage. The union movement was strong during the 1970s and wages of apprentices rose to the point where a senior apprentice received almost as much a qualified trades-person.
‘Lifelong learning and opportunities for re-entry into the workforce’ were another integral part of the Kangan Report of 1974. Australian Parliamentary Debates House of Representatives Weekly Hansard No 5 pp 1339-1343
Rapid technological changes caused an increasing displacement of sections of the community from the labour force. Some trades became redundant. Moulders and blacksmiths from the Railways were retrained in trades such as sheet metal work. A wide variety of specialised short courses were made available for people retraining or upgrading their skills mid career. At Midland a group of 38 farmers were retrained as meat inspectors, completing the theory component at the Technical School and the practical component at the Abattoirs. The Abattoirs provided the second largest source of local apprentices who attended Midland Technical School for the theory component of their training.
There were also many apprentices from small businesses at the School. In 1970, seventy-nine Ladies Hairdressing apprentices commenced training. In 1973 classes in Sheet-metal Work, Welding and Plumbing were started, providing support for many local industries. In the latter part of the decade many firms in Western Australia ceased operations. Their apprentices were taken over by the Railways providing entry standards could be met.
By 1977 Midland Technical School had expanded to more than 4000 students, qualifying to become a technical college. The last person to hold the office as Principal of Midland Technical School was Ted Lynch who had followed on from Dick Cotton in 1975.
During the 1970s other technical schools, including the now Swan TAFE campuses of Balga, Thornlie and Bentley were set up to take the pressure off the existing centres, and in the case of Thornlie, to accommodate the new need for heavy duty mechanics required by the iron ore mining industry. While these centres were eventually granted the status of ‘technical college’, it was under a very different structure.
Prior to the establishment of the WA Institute of Technology (WAIT), the Jackson Report of 1967 had called for it to be independent from the Education Department:
‘An independent institution can be seen to attract support from industry to a degree that could not be expected by a departmental agency, especially if the governing council includes experienced representatives of industry and professional bodies’.
This same philosophy was applied to the broader spectrum of technical education through the Fraser Liberal Government’s Partridge Report of 1976. The Committee recommended that
‘the Technical Education Division should be removed from the control of the Education Department, and that a statutory body be set up to be known as the Technical and Further Education Authority, which, through its governing council, should be responsible for development and administration of technical and further education in the State...’.
In 1979 Western Australia celebrated 150 years of British settlement (WAY ’79), which coincided with the anniversary of 75 years of technical education at Midland.
Thanks to Jim Cairns, Les Scannell and Bill Kirkham for assistance with this decade outline
