the common room
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by George Wilmot Senior Lecturer in Transport Studies, University of London.
Educational organizations in transport the Chartered Institute of Transport
CORRESPONDENTS and many others are often confused by the number and variety of educational organizations in transport. This is not in any way surprising. There are four professional institutes having a direct bearing on road transport; there is the National Committee for Road Transport Education, organizing a Diploma course, there are special awards given by local authority colleges and the universities add their quota of awards at varying levels. The whole is like a complex and bewildering mosaic, and it seems to me important to look at each organization in some detail analysing each one's aims and seeing how much overlap there is between the various bodies.
The Chartered Institute of Transport-founded in 1919, incorporated in 1920, gaining a Royal Charter in November 1926 which has been amended this year the word -Chartered" being added inter alia-is the largest and the senior organization in the field of transport. Its record of just over half a century is impressive. The Institute's examinations of the two levels of Intermediate and Final (formerly graduateship and associate membership) have long been
recognized as important qualifications in the industry. Its meetings range over many fundamental aspects and, relating to all forms of transport, have provided stimulating open forums. A steady number of publications produced over the years has focused enlightened views on manifold contemporary transport problems.
The Institute is concerned about students not able to follow a course of study leading to the examination awards and there. are close links with the Transport Tutorial Association which exclusively prepares students for the Institute's examinations. There is an excellent library at the London headquarters in Portland Place and most areas in Great Britain have a branch, while the Institute has worldwide contacts in providing its transport examinations.
Clearly, this is a record of distinction; yet there are many, especially in road transport, who feel some disquiet about the Institute and its work. Part of this disquiet stems from the fact that in the formative years of the Institute, from 1920 to 1930, the concept of transport was entirely different. The railway was the basic carrier of both passenger and freight. Bus transport and road haulage were only emerging from the birth pangs of their existence and both made a relatively small contribution to transport carryings. Even though air transport has recently found an important place, the examination schemes have tended to reflect this earlier state of affairs. The amount of time devoted to road transport does scant justice to its major contribution in the transport scene.
But all this is changing and changing quite rapidly. The new Intermediate examination and the new Final examination (details of the latter ought to be completed this month) have recast the mould completely. Road transport is playing a much more important role and, significantly, management subjects are being added to make the course more apposite as a course of professional training.
There is also a new spirit within the Chartered Institute and a willingness to co-operate and co-ordinate its work with other organizations. The outstanding example has been the common intermediate examination with the Industrial Transport Association. There are also plans to give a much wider recognition of other awards and more interchange of exemptions in examination subjects. The Institute, moreover, is moving away from being purely an examining body and beginning to pay close attention to course provision and teaching ability at various centres. This is, after all, in line with the Institute's first duty as laid down in its Charter-"to promote, encourage and co-ordinate the study of the science and art of transport in all its branches."