Education Needs as Seen by Australian Industrial Management
| Pages | 39-43 |
| Published date | 01 January 1964 |
| Date | 01 January 1964 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009578 |
| Author | W.T. McCABE |
| Subject Matter | Education |
THE JOURNAL. OF EDUCATIONAL. ADMINISTRATION 39
VOLUME II, NUMBER 1 MAY, 1964
Education Needs as Seen by Australian
Industrial Management
W. T. MCCABE
Although our society provides a wide range of educational ser-
vices,
it has as yet shown little interest in the education of ad-
ministrators, especially those at the higher levels. One of the few
institutions to concern itself with education in this area is the
Australian Institute of Management. However, the Institute finds
that although almost all Australian executives favour more train-
ing, few agree on what form the training should take. In a pilot
study 100 senior executives were asked to indicate their opinions
on the level of formal education desirable for managers. Most
favoured some education above secondary level and listed top and
middle management as being most in need of further education.
There was little agreement, however, on the functional areas
most needing further education.
For the last 100 years society has accepted an obligation, at
least in the most advanced nations, to provide some education
for everyone. This obligation has usually been interpreted to
mean the provision by the community of not merely primary and
secondary education, but of facilities for professional education
as well.
Yet it is one of the ironies of modern society that the com-
munity usually provides only limited facilities for education in
the fields in which most members of that society earn their liv-
ing—in business, commerce and industry. The Australian com-
munity, it is true, now provides through its technical colleges, a
wide range of training in basic skills. This can be considered
adequate only if we assume that community responsibility ends
at the primary-secondary level.
It is at the higher levels of administration that lack of train-
ing is causing most concern. In the profession of education it-
self it has become increasingly evident that more training must
be provided in administration. This is equally true of Austra-
lian business. The Stanford Research Institute in its survey
The Development of Australia (1963) commented sharply on
lack of higher managerial skills in Australian enterprises.
The problem is bedevilled by the fact that there is no agree-
ment on what potential managers should be taught, where they
should study and who should teach them. The technical colleges
MR. WILLIAM J. McCABE is Senior Executive in the Sydney division of
the Australian Institute of Management. He has occupied various executive
positions, mainly in the drug industry. Mr. McCabe is a B.Sc. of the University
of Sydney and he has published articles in management and business journals.
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