SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— L. 403 



departments of the universities has been supplemented by and has been 

 co-ordinated with that of the Industrial Research Associations financed by 

 the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 



Certain directions in which applied science should be further developed 

 in the technological departments of the universities are indicated. 



Discussion. (Prof. C. H. Desch.) 



Dr. John Strong. — The future training of teachers with special 

 reference to training colleges. 



Three years ago the Board of Education inaugurated a system whereby 

 the two-year training colleges were brought into relationship with the 

 universities. The nexus of this arrangement is the examination for the 

 teacher's certificate. Formerly this examination was conducted by the 

 Board of Education ; now it is conducted by local bodies consisting of 

 representatives of local educational interests, including representatives of the 

 relative university. In the Yorkshire area there is an Administrative Board 

 with boards of studies and boards of examiners, the latter consisting of 

 internal and external examiners. The external examiner is normally a 

 professor or lecturer in the university. 



The institution of an internal examination and the contact with the 

 university is a move in the right direction. The quality of the work done 

 in the Yorkshire training colleges approximates in many cases to that of 

 the pass degree in the universities, and a large number of the students 

 have the ability to take a pass degree. Approximately 70 per cent, of those 

 who entered the colleges this year hold a matriculation certificate or its equi- 

 valent, and of these 15 per cent, have gained the higher school certificate. 



These facts point to the necessity of providing for these students further 

 facilities for obtaining degrees. This would mean (i) lengthening the 

 course of training ; (2) the institution of a degree having a more definite 

 relation to the future work of such teachers ; (3) the recognition of some of 

 the work in the training colleges as of university standard. 



Discussion. (Mr. R. R. Kimbell.) 



Prof. T. H. Searls. — Extra-mural facilities offered for adult education 

 by the universities and the local education authorities in Yorkshire. 



Mr. G. H. Thompson. — Facilities offered for adult education by 

 voluntary bodies in Yorkshire. 



The paper describes the activities of voluntary organisations, whose main 

 purpose is to stimulate interests of a non-vocational character, and takes 

 no account of facilities provided by professional or technical associations 

 for their members. It directs attention to the change in the character of 

 adult education during this century. 



During the latter part of the nineteenth and the early years of the twentieth 

 century, the facilities offered by voluntary organisations were largely 

 miscellaneous in character, and the costs were borne wholly by the voluntary 

 organisation. 



Now the chief features of adult education are continuity and intensive 

 study, and a large proportion of the cost is contributed by public or semi- 

 public bodies. 



A very notable fact is that this change in character has largely been 

 achieved by working people acting in co-operation with ' learning ' in its 

 individual and corporate capacities. 



