The engineering option 2

John Wellens' feature on developments in apprenticeship, ICT, March 1978 pp 96–100, has rightly attracted a great deal of interest even though perhaps at the expense of some embarrassment within the EITB. As one of those fortunate enough to see an advance copy of the Board's proposals I could see no reason for secrecy. The effectiveness of the ICT article is now evidenced by the proposals being published generally as Information Paper No 49 and whatever the reasons for what Wellens calls the ‘EITB Pantomime’, the proposals merit wide and urgent debate if they are to stand a chance of being implemented in time and in a form to be of benefit to young people currently at school. This paper should be regarded as a personal contribution to that debate from a practising trainer.