A Samoan View Of Vocational Training

At a public meeting hosted by the American Samoa Ad visory Council on Vocational Education, the council and concerned community mem bers voiced their sentiments regarding needed im provements in the career and vocational education programmes now operating in American Samoa.

The keynote speaker, Tuana’itau F. Tuia, claimed that the vocational education of the past, the transfer of plantation knowledge from the old to the young, was out dated. After stating that the “following-father-around method of vocational educa tion” is no longer adequate for today’s demands, the meeting was opened up for discussion, allowing the pub lic to voice their ideas on how to effect a realistic up-dating of the present programmes.

Although trade courses are now offered at the Community

College of American Samoa, including carpentry, plumb ing and welding, very few stu dents have taken advantage of them. While money has alrea dy been appropriated to im prove the vocational educa tion facilities at the Com munity College, the question was raised as to whether it is justifiable to spend these funds due to the present lack of student interest in these fields.

It was suggested that the Department of Education pay more attention to expanding their vocational and career education programmes at the high school level in order to increase student awareness and interest.

The fact that tradespeople currently receive low wages in comparison with other job markets was given as one reason for the lack of in centive to learn a trade. Yet, according to the Advisory

Council, the current program mes of study offered at the high sc hool level are not pro viding students with saleable skills to enter into the ever changing and demanding job market, To t he dismay of many gra duates, there are not enough administrative, management and executive positions to go around. Yet there are plenty of machines and appliances in need of repair and continuous construction projects offering jobs f or skilled and unskilled labour Greater emphasis on career and vocational education programmes will hopefully eliminate the “functional il literates” the term used by the Advisory Council to de scribe American Samoa’s high school graduates and instead provide students with the skills necessary to enter those job markets which now lack trained personnel.