Italy.—Technical education in Italy is regulated by the Min istry of National Economy and by decree of 1923. Vocational training is given in people's schools for workers or preparatory schools, in industrial or apprenticeship schools, at courses for journeymen for developing the working capacity of apprentices or workers, in industrial institutes for training future managing and technical staff in factories, industrial workshops and techni cal laboratories, and at experimental establishments for furthering technical progress in industry by means of study, research, an alysis and inquiries.
The most important of the industrial institutes is the Institute for Vocational Education at Rome. It has two sections, one for the training of expert mechanics and electricians, and the other for training experts in the building industry.
Scandinavia.—In Sweden, technical schools are of compara tively recent origin; it was not until 1918 that they were brought together into a systematic organization. In 1920, a Central Institute for Training Vocational Teachers was established in Stockholm. Technical instruction is now provided at full-time workshop schools, apprenticeship schools, trade schools, and schools of commerce and domestic economy. Technical trade schools and technical gymnasiums are, for the most part, main tained by the State, although there are private commercial gym nasiums. In Norway, continuation schools have been established both in cities and country districts.
Holland.—There are many trade and vocational schools in Holland, where most of the chief industries have higher and lower technical schools. There were in 1925, 12 technical high schools and numerous other technical, trade and agricultural schools.
Switzerland.—In Switzerland, continuation schools are, as a rule, organized by the communes, although the state has made them compulsory in many of the cantons. Vocational schools, whether municipal or cantonal, are subsidised by the Confedera tion. The country also possesses a federal "Polytechnicum" at Ziirich, which is of university rank. The national industries, also, have stimulated the establishment of schools for the industrial arts, while vocational guidance is being developed by the Associ ation Suisse des Conseils d'Apprentissage. Zurich has a bureau of vocational guidance, and a beginning has been made with psychological tests at the Institut J. J. Rousseau in Geneva and at the Psychotechnisches Institut in Zurich. Efforts are also being made to develop continuation courses in agriculture, in 1926, there were 22 agricultural schools.
Czechoslovakia.—The organization of continuation schools in Czechoslovakia is fixed by orders of the State, based upon a law of 1919. Every trade apprentice is required to attend a continuation school and to remain in attendance for eight to fourteen hours weekly. Specialised technical instruction is pro vided for groups of at least seven students in a general trade continuation school. Professional continuation schools are, how ever, steadily replacing general trade schools. In 1925-26 there were 2,615 continuation schools attended by 203,227 pupils, of whom 49,631 were girls.
Estonia.—In Estonia, trade schools were constituted by a law of 1925. Vocational training in Finland is provided in com mercial, agricultural, technical and trade schools. Lower and higher technical schools are organized in Poland, as well as artisans' schools, evening continuation, commercial and agricul tural schools. In Latvia, the number of students at the technical and commercial middle schools increased from 285 in 1919-20 to 2,610 in 1924-25. A Royal Decree of 1923 determined the organization of technical institutes in Italy; other vocational schools are organized by the Ministry of National Economy.
Japan.—Technical education in Japan is for the most part provided at government and public institutions. In the category of technical schools are included also agricultural schools, com mercial schools, nautical schools, fishery schools. Generally speaking, students admitted must be above twelve years of age. Industrial schools are provided for children of superior attain ments, and technical continuation schools for children from ele mentary schools who are engaged in industry. In 1924, there were 15,528 public and 193 private technical schools, staffed by 17,620 teachers and attended by 1,206,098 pupils. Most of the schools were junior continuation schools. The higher technical schools, of which there were 35 under the direct control of the Department of Education, provide advanced studies in the same subjects as are found in the curricula of European institutions. (See also, for the above countries, UNIVERSITIES.) in Industrial and Commercial Efficiency, H.M. Stationery Office (1927) ; Handbuch fur das Berufs and Fach schulwesen (1922) ; L.C.C. Report on Trade and Technical Education in France and Germany, 1914 (No. 1662) ; Educational Yearbooks, 1924-27, of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University ; London Education Service, 1927, published by the London County Council (No. 2,526) ; Sir Philip Magnus, Industrial Education (1888) ; Report of British Royal Commission on Technical Education (1884) ; Report of the Committee on Education and Industry ; Millis, Technical Education; Selby-Bigge, The Board of Education; Technical and Further Education, Education for Industry and Commerce, and other publications of the Board of Education. (G. H. GA.)