AGY-39 | Technical Education Branch

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On November 15 1889 the Board of Technical Education was dissolved by proclamation, and technical education was transferred to the control of the Minister of Public Instruction to be administered through the Technical Education Branch of the Department (2). In 1889 the Minister for Public Instruction reported technical education classes at Sydney Technical College and branch colleges in five major towns with affiliated classes being conducted in three Sydney suburbs and five country towns - a total of 119 classes. (3) On 24 October 1933 a Commision was appointed to inquire into the Technical Education Commission of New South Wales. The Commissioners were Alexander James Gibson, James McIntyre and Alek Walter Hicks. The terms of reference indicated the following areas of worthy of investigation:
Technical education in Country towns
Suitability of curriculum for the needs of industry
Adequacy of the existing buildings and equipment for contemporary needs
Staffing requirements
The relationship between post primary and technical education including entrance standards into the latter
Relationship between technical and university education including the status of technical college qualifications
Financing technical education
Fees for technical courses
Centralisation of regionalisation of technical education
Vocational guidance, employment and technical education
The inquiry was completed at the end of May 1934 and a number of recommendations of the Commission set the course for the immediate future Technical education some of which was encapsulated into the Technical Education Act , 1940. (4) The Technical Education Act, 1940 (Act No. 20, 1940) established Technical Education districts in Sydney (5) and Newcastle (6) and enabled the proclamation of additional technical education districts. (7) The district councils were responsible for the "provision, maintenance, control and management" of technical education in the relevant district (8) Immediately upon their appointment the district councils were to form Joint Committees consisting of two members of the district council and one member each appointed by the Minister and the Colonial Treasurer. The purpose of the joint Committees was to determine which real and personal property was required by the District Council to carry out its functions and to organise the transfer of ownership to the Council (9) Each District Council was to appoint a Council of Studies (10) and an advisory committee consisting of employers and employees in the relevant industry for each course taught in the district. (11) Two or more councils could make arrangements to deliver instruction to students outside their areas including by correspondence (12) The Act also established a Technical Education Board consisting of the Superintendent of Technical Education, the Principals of Sydney and Newcastle Technical Colleges and two appointees of the Governor who were members of the Sydney and Newcastle District Councils (13) The functions of the Board were to allocate funds to the district councils, to recommend legislative change to enhance delivery of technical education, to have the powers of a district council in regions not covered by district councils, inspection and reporting on the management of technical colleges. (14) The Act also created the New South Wales Institute of Technology. The Institute was managed by a council of 33 members elected by the Governor. (15) The functions of the Institute were to determine the standard of diplomas issued by the institute, encourage scientific and technological research, and to establish fellowships and associateships (16) The Industrial Arbitration (Amendment) Act (No.25 1943) determined that the employers must grant leave to their "apprentices and trainee apprentices" to attend classes during the day. (17) Apprentices thereafter received part of their formal training by day and part in the evening. In 1947 it was decided to establish an Institute of Technology and the first courses commenced in 1948. The following year the name of this institution was changed to the New South Wales University of Technology. The Technical Education and New South Wales University of Technology Act, 1949 (Act No. 11, 1949), repealed the Technical Education Act, 1940 and established a separate Department of Technical Education, administered by a Director under the control of the Minister for Education. (18) Endnotes:
(1) NSW Government Gazette, 1 August, 1883 p. 4173
(2) NSW Government Gazette, 15 November, 1889 p. 8141
(3) Annual report of the Minister for Public Instruction, 1889, p. 166
(4) Report on the Technical EDucation Sydtem of New South Wales, 31 May 1934 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1935-1936 vol. 1 p. 311- 544
(5) Technical Education Act, 1940 s. 4
(6) Ibid. s. 5
(7) Ibid. s. 6
(8) Ibid. s. 41
(9) Ibid. s. 44
(10) Ibid. s. 50
(11) Ibid. s. 52
(12) Ibid. s. 54, 55
(13) Ibid. s. 58
(14) Ibid. s.59
(15) Ibid. s. 65- 66
(16) Ibid. s. 67
(17) Industrial Arbitration (Amendment) Act (No.25 1943) Section 5 (f) 1A d&e.
(18) Technical Education and New South Wales University of Technology Act, 1949 s. 5