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Young Malayans, Bulletin From The Junior Technical (Trade) School
This bulletin called Young Malaysians was published on Wednesday, 23rd November 1949. There are a number of journals and essays in this bulletin and one of them was the “Trade Training for a Career”. This article was encouraging young Malayans who are mechanically minded and wish to become artisans to enter the Junior Technical Trade School. The article tells us that the Junior Trade School will help students qualify for a large number of trades and the necessary entry requirements. It claims that the industrial world requires young men to be equipped with technical and industrial skill that would be acquired from the Junior Technical Trade School. The two photographs show the Ipoh school, first in the workshop and then in the classroom.
The Trade School in Ipoh was founded, based on the success of the Kuala Lumpur Trade School. The initial intake was 25 young men of which 23 were Malays with 1 Chinese and 1 Indian. The Chief Instructor was transferred from the Federated Malay States Railways Central Workshops and his assistant from the Kuala Lumpur Trade School.
The students' first task was to assist in the construction of the school building and installing machinery. Practical training took place on Albion and Thornycroft lorries of the Public Works Department Ipoh.
Each student received $10 per month as a scholarship. Tuition, overalls and shoes were provided free once per year. Initially, accommodation and food was provided in a shophouse by a contractor at $8 per head per month. When the Anderson School Hostel was available half of the building was given to the Trade School.
For the following 2 years, another 25 students enrolled and the school operated a 3 year training course to a set syllabus. Final year students gained experience by undertaking work for other Government Departments, such as repairing hospital ambulances.
At first this work was completed free of charge but when charges were brought in, the Education Department earned $7,500 per year from the boys’ labour. From 1939 to 1941, the school also supported the British Military in Perak, but in December 1941 the Japanese invasion reached Perak and the school was closed, all equipment being removed by the Japanese.
The school was reopened after reoccupation and introduced training in electrical engineering, bricklaying and carpentry in addition to its previous syllabus.