§ 5. Mr. Willisasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the passing out examination of an artificer apprentice, taken on completion of a full course of training, has any exemption value in relation to civilian professional examinations of a similar character.
Mr. DugdaleI am not aware of any civil professional examination which is waived for candidates who have taken the artificer apprentices passing out examination.
§ Mr. WillisIs my hon. Friend aware that anything that he could do along the lines suggested would be most helpful when these men come to settle down in civilian life, and would he, in particular, take up with the Ministry of Transport the question of marine engineers' certificates?
§ 6. Mr. Willisasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what encouragement or assistance is given to those artificer apprentices who wish to qualify for entrance to the Naval Scientific Service.
Mr. DugdaleThe naval artificer apprentice is trained to become an artificer in the Royal Navy and is under engagement to serve as such until he is 30. The Naval Scientific Service which is a civilian service is not in the normal line of his career and it would not be in the best interests of the service to train or encourage him to transfer to a different line before he has finished his engagement. After they have completed their initial training, however, men are encouraged to sit for the higher educational test, second class, which is the minimum educational qualification for ex-regular naval candidates for entry into the Assistant Scientific 350 Grade. Classes are arranged for this purpose in all ships in which instructor officers are borne and correspondence classes are available for men in small ships.
§ Mr. WillisWill my hon. Friend look at the Report of the Select Committee on Estimates and consider their recommendations in connection with using Service apprenticeship as a source for the supply of personnel to the Scientific Service?