East Pittsburgh, Pa.
Until recently we have confined our training, as such, very largely
to trades apprentices. We have a four-year course for these as
mechanics, electricians and patternmakers.
Until recently it has been our plan to train new employees in
the section to which they were assigned, upon the machines and
work with which they were to be regularly connected. The various
shop departments have instructors picked from the best workmen to
demonstrate machines and their operation, when necessary.
What has already been said applies to both men and women, and up to
the present time we have done nothing more than this in the way of
training men employees.
Recently we have inaugurated a training course for women machine
operators and a department has been equipped wherein these women are
instructed in the operation of machine tools, such as lathes, drill
press, screw machines, grinders and milling machines. This department
is also to train women who are to work on mechanical fitting.
In addition to this we have a training school for instructing women
employees in electrical work, such as winding, taping, soldering,
connecting and insulating.
These schools are primarily for beginners and it is the plan to
obtain women for these training sections through our centralized
Employment Department. Then, when any manufacturing department wishes
help, it will obtain it from the training section.
The instructor from these training sections is a high-grade man
assisted by women, and these instructors are carefully selected from
our own best employees.
The length of the training period runs from two to three days up to
three to four weeks, depending upon the difficulty of the occupation
and the adaptability of the woman being trained.
We have also recently inaugurated a training school for women clerks
and we have had for some time a training school for stenographers,
typists, tracers and dictaphone operators.
We believe that preliminary training is very desirable for both men
and women and that if equipment and space are allowable, special
training departments should be established wherever the nature of the
work will permit it.
(Signed) ROBT. L. WILSON,
_Assistant General Superintendent_.