The attitude of the technical school toward the profession of electrical engineering

The technical school is primarily an educational institution. The purpose is not to teach trades of any order, nor is it directly to produce business or professional men. The technical school sustains a vital relation to the profession of electrical engineering, and it cannot succeed without an understanding of that relation. On the other hand, the profession cannot use technical graduates efficiently without a knowledge of the purpose underlying their training. That both school and profession are coming to understand their relation is made evident by many signs. Among these may be mentioned the development of graduate-apprentice courses by manufacturing and operating companies, the reduction of manual training and the increase of scientific training in the schools, the formation of employment committees by both companies and schools, and the cordial relations existing between practitioners and teachers. From the first the technical school has stood for the encouragement of useful studies with a scientific foundation. At first undoubtedly too much emphasis was laid upon the practical features of the curriculum, and the attempt was made to do in the laboratory what can only be done in the factory. This and other faults are being corrected by the study of industrial conditions, and the work of the school is being increasingly appreciated by the profession generally.