IS COMMERCIAL EDUCATION NEEDED IN SOUTH PACIFIC SCHOOL

Commercial education covers a wide range of related subjects which generally include consumer education, commercial law, book-keeping and accounting, economics and secretarial studies. There are, broadly speaking, four levels in commercial studies education. (1) Consumer Education The first level of commercial education should be designed to equip individuals as 'consumers ' with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to cope successfully with and contribute to their commercial environment. (2) Vocational Education The second level should be and has been traditionally geared to provide vocational competence for those seeking employment, mainly in some kind of office position in government and commercial establishments. (3) Business/Managerial Education The third level of commercial education should cater for professional managerial competence for people at senior levels in industry, government, co-operatives and retailing. (4) Small Business Education The fourth level should be directed at those people who are or intend to become independent owner/managers of small businesses (included in this are farming and co-operative ventures) and it should be designed to increase their entrepreneurial and managerial competence. At the school level one of the objectives of such a course would be to orientate students to thinking of creating employment for themselves rather than simply thinking of seeking employment. The course may only give them a very basic understanding of some of the skills and knowledge required in 5 starting and operating a small business, but this would be an initial preparation and could encourage more people to take the plunge into establishing small-scale business. It should also reduce the very high failure rate of such ventures