adminThe Rhodesia Herald
7 March 1981
THE Government may take strict measures to ensure that more blacks are taken on as apprentices if employers do not change voluntarily or follow possible Government recommendations.
Speaking at a National Affairs Association meeting in Salisbury yesterday, the Minister of Manpower Planning and Development, Mr. Frederick Shava, said less than 25 percent of the country’s apprentices were black despite the coming of majority rule.
“The Government obviously cannot allow this to continue. It had been hoped that employers would have seen the light and that there would have been a marked improvement in the present intake.
“However, although final figures are not yet available, there is reason to conclude that there has been insufficient effort made to correct the Imbalance.”
Mr. Shava said he was aware many employers rationalised their present attitude by claiming that blanks “because of their so-called cultural background” were unable to cope with technological concepts.
“If proper selection methods are used this fallacy will be disproved. By proper selection methods I do not mean tests which are designed to favour one group over another.
The Government would have to take a more active role in the recruitment and selection of apprentices, beyond its present limited function of ensuring minimum criteria were met.
Acceptable proportions may have to be recommended to employers, whether in the private or public sector
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