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181
adult, I am confident that they are capable of accomplishing more
difficult tasks.
By transferring the boys at present attending the Lewisham
Centre at Knoyle Street, it is hoped to make our establishment at
Park Vista a mixed centre and, furthermore, by employing another
male staff member, the undertaking of more useful and complex
out-work can be entertained.
In addition to laundering and plain cooking, the girls are
being taught to shampoo and set their own hair and a few are being
introduced to reading, writing and very simple arithmetic. On
the occasions when they are taken out to places of interest the
trainees travel by public transport. Some of the girls who previously
reached the Centre by coach now make the journey by themselves
but so far, during the current year, only one girl has been found
suitable for transfer to the Blackwall Lane Industrial Centre. It is
hoped to transfer more during 1967. As soon as is practicable, the
whole scope and purpose of this Centre will be reviewed.
Blackwall Industrial Training Centre
This building, which has a total capacity for 35 trainees, is
bright, airy, has good central heating and a well equipped canteen
and accommodates 24 trainees from this Borough and a further 9
from Lewisham.
It is the aim of the Centre where possible to bring the standard
of ability of trainees to such a level that they can compete in the
open market. When this object proves unattainable, the policy
is to teach them to be emotionally stable and socially acceptable in
order that they may live harmoniously within the community.
Work at this Centre during 1965 was mostly the carding of
simple items of stationery and printing on plastic. During the
current year, efforts have been made with some success to obtain
work of a light assembly nature from local concerns. More power
tools such as bench drills and a lathe have been introduced with the
result that 4 trainees have been placed in open industry and have
managed to hold the jobs found for them. Others have been given
trials in industrial firms but have failed to make the grade and have
had to return to the Centre. Three trainees are capable of working in
industry but their parents will not allow them to do so.
With this Centre, however, there are a number of drawbacks in
its design, e.g. work and storage spaces are generally inadequate,
work in progress has to be stored on wall shelving in the workshops
which are already too small for their purposes and all completed
work has to be stored in the entrance hall to await collection.
In consequence, a purpose-built Centre has been proposed and it is
hoped that this will be included in the 1967/8 building programme.