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No. -4-1038f[P 1 THE WORKS 0 PROGRAM --- Works Progress .Ad.ministration --- For release in moring papers Sunday, February 16, 1936.. Allotments Made to 21 States for Household Workers Training Program Under WPA. Household training for young women on relief rolls, equipping them to hold jobs in private employment, has been initiated in 21 States, New York City and the District of Columbia, through an allotment of $500,000 of Federal funds, to be administered by the Women's Division of Works Progress Administration. Courses, in which general housework, child care, and the cooking and serving of food will be taught, have been established in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michi r,an, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York City. In the other 12 states preparations are nearly completed for starting their practice houses. Wrrs. Ellen S. Woodward, Assistant Administrator of WPA, who is the head of its Women I s Division, has appointed Miss Anna ;.i:arie Driscoll as national supervisor of the Household Workers' Training Program, to unify, standardize and coordinate its work throughout the country, Miss Driscoll discussed the undertaking today, before leaving Washington to visit all the states in which the work will be carried on. The first lap of her journey takes her to WF'A State headquarters of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Then she will go to Connecticut and Massachusetts. Next, two weeks covering West Virginia., Ohio, Michigan, Minnesote and Illinois. Missouri, Kansas, Colorado a.nd Utah follow. Then a week in California and Arizona. She will return to Washingto.n via Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Sou th Carolina and Tennessee. These are the 21 States in which a program of professional household training for young women on relief is being inaugurated. "There is a nation-wide interest in standardizing working conditions and dignifying household work, 11 Miss Driscoll declared. "And it is equally necessary for employers to raise their own standards, if they want to hold the better trai ned employees. ยท Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 1 No .-4--1038 - 2 - "In our Household Workers 1 Training Program, the State directors have these two objectives definitely before them. "On the relief rolls of the country today are many young women who sought household work through both public and private employment agencies, and took positions but were unable to hold them because they lacked experience in household duties. These are the women, unemployed, untrained yet eager to be self-supporting in this field, who will have the first opportunity to be students in our training centers. 'For every girl receiving household instruction, it is our plan to work through 1 the employment agencies to find an employer, desiring efficient help, to join in our endeavor, meeting with the State d.irector of the project and willing to cooperate in order to make the job in her horre attractive and permanent. 11 The program is entirely practical in emphasis. A thorough training, and satisfactory placement for every trainee, is our ambition. 11 Miss Driscoll brings enthusiasm to the work, from an extensive experience in the field of home economics and household training. During the past two summers she was director of educational camps for FERA and WPA in Utah, where a similar home training program for young women was successfully conducted. Her point of view is primarily industrial, and in all her training work she has emphasized the equal importance of placement and follow-up supervision. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington, has done graduate work in the Universities of Chicago, California and Utah in social education, and for many years has taught home economics, for the most pa.rt in the public schools of Salt Lake City. "These funds, 7600 girls. 11 she states, 11 will make possible the training of approximately It will be a gradual thing. Each center will open when around twenty- five young women register for the eight-week courses that have been planned. Only as these students are trained and placed will we progress with the recruiting of other pupils, and employers for them. 11 The practice houses are located in urban centers in each State. Communities are donating mu.ch of the space and equipment that we need, for local interest is keen. The money will go chiefly into wages for teachers, incidental expenses and food. The girls are provided with their lunches, and uniforms, and a dollar a week for carfare to and from the classes. Their later employment will lessen the relief rolls, but while training, their status as members of families on local relief remains unchanged. 11 Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY No. -4--1038 - 3 - The State al2.otments for the Household Training Pro ~ram are as follows: ARIZONA CALIFORNIA COLORADO CON:NECTI CUT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLORIDA ILLINOIS KANSAS LOUISIANA rl.ASSACHUSETT S MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSOURI NEW JERSEY NEW YORK STATE NEW YORK CI TY SOUTH CAROLINA OHIO PENNSYLVANIA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH V,'EST VIRGINIA 150 girls 500 fl 1 50 fl 200 fl 300 II 1 50 II 600 If 300 II 150 fl 300 fl 500 fl 300 fl 300 fl 450 It 150 II 600 II 300 fl 600 fl 450 II 1 50 fl 300 II 150 fl 150 fl 7,600 11 $10,000 40,000 10 ,000 20 ,000 20 ,000 10,000 40,000 20,000 10,000 20,000 40,000 20,000 20,000 30,000 10,000 40,000 20 ,000 40,000 30,000 10,000 20,000 10,000 10,000 $500,0CO fl :Both the public and private employment agencies have found that there are more available jobs for experience d household workers than there are women equipped to fill them," Miss Driscoll said. available work is not enough. 11 But merely to offer training courses for this Until the hours, wages, and working conditions are made comparable with other occupations, young women won't go into this field with any enthusi asm . That is why we consider it essential to draw into our program em- ployers interested in improvin~ the standards for household occupations. It's an experiment, yes - one to which a definite contribution has already been made in various places - but this is the first effort to find a solu tion on any nation-wide basis. 11 In proceeding to t he objectives of the Household Workers Training Program under WPA, a three point approach has been formulated. :F'irst, the training schools. The young women who volunteer for the courses are from an age group that ranges from 18 to 35. Each can choose the type of training she prefers, or t ake all fou r courses that are being offered. These will eq_ui:p her to be either F: .general household em- ployee, cook, nurse maid, or "second maid". Each student is to work independ.ently, and mu.st attain a definite standard in each operation before progressing to the next. She has a "progress chart", and can proceed fast or slowly according to ability and application. A girl with sp ecial aptitude might complete the average ei r.h t- week cou rse in four weeks. In general, five hours a day will be gi ven to the work, five days a week. Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY No. -4--1 0 38 - 4 - .A.t the end of the course the trainee receives a certificate of proficiency. Before winning this, every detail of household respo ns ibility must have been performed to the satisfaction of the head t eacher and her t wo assistants. Care in personal appea r a nce and cleanliness, a health examination, the answering of a telephone and doorb ell, the recept i on of guests a re points to be included before the com;::letion of the co 1.1. rse, as well as the t ec h ni :i_ue s of cl eaning, bedmaking, cooking, serving, laundering, child-feedi ng , marketing, and the p roper handling cf all equi pment. "The seco nd ~)oint is our three r:oint pro g ram, the recruiti ng of .3;:ri;;loye rs. 11 Miss Driscoll stressed, "is We hop e they will cc ope r a te -b y b ri nging in their exp erience with h ous ehold employees, thus makir.g it possible for us to shape our trai ning courses to t he ac tua l needs in a community. SQch coopera tion is our only way of getting employe r-emr: lcyee rel a tio n ships over to the gi rls. it witho".1.t k nowing where and why i!l the past it has fallen do wn. And we can't do It is expe ct ed that interested employers wil l mee t with the project director for discussion and decisions on employer re spon sibility and standards. "The third point of the pro g ram will be the forming of advisory ir.o mmi ttees, including both men an d women, from school boards, YWCA, churches, clu bs and homemaking groups, who a re interested in pe rmanen tly r ai sing the standards of household work. 11 Digitized by Original from NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
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