Opportunities in Industry

New Zealand industry shares a world-wide shortage of men and women of ability to fill top jobs, and this position is aggravated by the rapid growth of manufacturing which has been taking place to expand and strengthen our national economy.

In these conditions there is an atmosphere of opportunity in industry—opportunity to create and construct, opportunity to lead, opportunity to rise to the top. In these favourable and challenging conditions, therefore, the graduate is offered full scope for the application and further development of his or her talents.

Industry has a high regard for the graduate, which may be explained by consideration of the qualities which are needed and which are constantly sought in people on their way to the top. These fall into two divisions—specific knowledge and technical qualifications on the one hand and judgment, ability to make decisions and understanding of the humanities on the other.

When a top job, or one which is deliberately planned as a stepping-stone to the top, is advertised, selection often is referred to management consultants.

This reflects the complexity of the requirements and the importance attached by management to these appointments. The consultants check the qualifications of the applicant, which are a matter of record, and they also test the applicants for aptitudes and potential ability, experience, personality and demeanour.

A graduate has a double advantage in a career in industry—his degree is an asset in itself but his university training is also regarded as valuable background for general management. The graduate, in a phrase, has a trained mind. He has knowledge, but also receptiveness and the capacity to learn—not necessarily within the confines of his original university disciplines.

It is obvious that, other factors being relatively equal, a graduate will enjoy an advantage in selection for a responsible appointment with prospects. It is not always so obvious, but equally true, that any graduate has prospects of rising to the top—whether his background is in the arts, in law, in accountancy, in engineering in science, or in any other field.

As an engineer or economist he can make his mark in his own professional sphere, but at the same time he will be demonstrating his potential for advancement. Capacity to absorb new ideas and knowledge to widen one's horizons is important, for the higher one rises the broader his responsibilities must become.

For some roles in management—for instance in marketing, in personnel administration, perhaps in control of a transport fleet—graduates may be preferred although there is no specific university degree as a basic qualification.

This further demonstrates the flexibility and adaptability which is evident in progressive management and which further emphasises the unlimited scope which exists fot graduates in industry.

Some firms consider university training so important that they select young men with potential send them to university and trair them for top positions instead of relying on promotion by seniority Periods of training at routine task: are essential to the acquisition [unclear: o] basic knowledge of any industry but in the case of graduates the prerequisite to advancement is [unclear: O] minimum duration.

Manufacturing today is the biggest productive sector in the New Zealand economy. Except for power generation, growth is fasta in manufacturing than in any other sector. This must continue. Along with growth goes opportunity.

Among the 280,000 people engaged in manufacturing, [unclear: the] relatively small number [unclear: o] graduates have made a tremendous contribution to the growth and innovation which has taken place Industry is on the march, still growing rapidly, and there is plenty of room at the top—especially for graduates.