THIS special supplement to SCHOOL LIFE is a product of 6 months work by many people. Here in the un-

written words of illustrations and in compact language is the story of how vocational education has helped

our people in time of need. Similar accounts might be presented concerning efforts of other groups of educators

to battle against the forces of depression. The direct responsibility of the Office of Education for promotion

of vocational education prompts this special presentation.-Editor.

Foreword..

CONTENTS

Cover Photograph: Unemployed Boy Learning Jewelry Making at New York Vocational School

9592°-35-1

Foreword

MILLIONS UNEMPLOYED! Like huge letters on billboards these two words-MILLIONS UNEMPLOYED have confronted every American and every American institution at every turn during the past 5 years.

Camera Reports

1. More than 100 volunteer workers making war on weeds in a community potato field at Elwood, Ind.

Community and individual "relief" gardens, in the planting and cultivation of which the townspeople of Elwood and the teacher and students of the vocational

agriculture department have cooperated during the past 3 years, have yielded a large quantity of food for

distribution to the needy, much of which has been canned.

2. Canning fruit, vegetables, and meats

MILLIONS UNEMPLOYED. That is the hard, inescapable fact. for home consumption in Leslie, Ga. And with those two implacable words has gone an unwritten

The more than 25,000 cans of food preserved under the

second line a challenge to every American supervision of the vocational agriculture teacher, for

and every American institution: "What can
be done about it?"

Vocational education has faced this central fact in American life during the past 5 years. Vocational education had to because those two words, MILLIONS UNEMPLOYED, stand like a barricade across the road to the goal of vocational education, which, in nontechnical terms, is to help individuals "to get a job, hold a job, or get a better job."

home consumption, kept a number of families off relief rolls in this community. Canning centers of this type, open to relief families without charge, have been established in over 100 communities of the State and more than 2,000,000 cans of food have been prepared.

3. Rubber workers being retrained as silk workers in a vocational school at Williamsport, Pa.

while this course was planned for unemployed rubber

workers, and 54 such workers were trained in silk

weaving, other unemployed girls and young men

enrolled and were successfully trained as silk weavers.

4. A vocational sewing center in Athens

The President of the United States in signing the George- County, Ohio. Ellzey Act making funds available for vocational education expressed the wish that the additional funds be used so far as possible for the relief of unemployment.

How vocational education has mustered its strength to help in the national drive to reduce unemployment is briefly reported in this special supplement. It is published to encourage renewed and unceasing efforts by vocational education in the battle against unemployment. This supplement follows up an earlier mimeographed State by State summary of vocational education and unemployment.

It is a record of which we may be justly proud. It is a record It is a record which shows that we can rely on vocational education to be a trustworthy friend to American citizens in time of need-a practical and helpful friend to help us meet many difficult personal problems created by the surging economic and social changes of our day.

One of several such centers in this county, in which 100 women, sole supporters of their families, received pay for making clothing for the needy, and at the same time were given instruction in sewing, nutrition, and health.

5. Unemployed persons enrolled in a vocational class, building their own

school in New Mexico.

In this school these unemployed persons are now being

taught native crafts-spinning, weaving, woodwork ing, leather working-in which there is a shortage of

skilled workers.

6. A vocational class in placer mining and prospecting for unemployed men. Hundreds of unemployed men in the States of Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon were enrolled in vocational

classes in placer mining and prospecting, and enabled activity in which there is no danger of overproduction.

to make a living producing precious metals-a field of

7. A class at the Washburne Continuation and Apprentice School in Chicago. There were not many vacant seats in this class. The "training and placing of victims of the depression" has been the most important work of this school during the past few years. Some 50 short-unit courses of from a month to 2 months duration are offered.