An excellent analysis of living in the United States during the past two decades is well expressed by Herbert George Wells in The Outline of History, "Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." Today, with the rapid technological and scientific advances being made, "Readin, Ritin and Rithmetic" are hardly enough to equip many persons to earn sufficient income to sustain themselves and their families. More special, knowledge and know-how is necessary. As a result, college enrollments are at an all time high and professors and graduate students continually strive to attain knowledge hitherto believed either non-existent or non-attainable. In an attempt to relieve the demand on colleges and universities, the community two-year college system was instituted in Virginia to make special training and some part of a college education available to every State citizen within a radius of fifty miles of his home. It is to be noted that the community colleges and the four-year colleges and universities are either State-owned and operated or are heavily endowed.

A further significant contribution to post-high school education has been made by privately owned trade, technical, business and correspondence schools, to generally categorize them. These schools offer specialized training in a variety of different subjects primarily to provide expertise in one particular field of employment or in some particular phase thereof. Overall, these schools provide excellent training for their students. As was pointed out during this study "the number of private business, technical and correspondence schools has grown at such a rapid rate in recent years that the industry as a whole is now more exposed than ever to the public criticism and distrust that could develop..."

The 1968 General Assembly of Virginia being aware of the large role these trade, technical, business and correspondence schools play in educating and training its citizens and also conscious that these educational enterprises were operating with no State direction or supervision adopted House Joint Resolution No. 126 directing the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council to make a study and report concerning the advisability of licensing such schools.

Pursuant to this resolution, the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council selected Honorable Samuel E. Pope, member of the House of Delegates, Drewryville, and of the Council, Chairman of a committee to make a preliminary study and report to Council. Selected to serve on this Committee with Mr. Pope were: Senator Hunter B. Andrews, Hampton; Mrs. Edward G. Brant, Staunton; George W. Burton, Richmond; Mrs. Nadine Clift, Arlington; Harry G. Green, Lynchburg; Miss Frances Jennette, Arlington; G. Hunter Jones, Rustburg; A. Lee Hall, Richmond; Luther M. Harrell, Jr., Blacksburg; Kenneth W. Sledd, Richmond; and Arthur L. Walker, Richmond.

At the organizational meeting of the Committee, Senator Hunter B. Andrews was elected Vice-Chairman. The office of the Secretary to the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council rendered the necessary secretarial assistance to the committee, Frank R. Dunham representing it.

During this study, statutes of several other states exercising regulation over the type of schools named in the study resolution were obtained and analyzed. Personal conferences were held with Mr. Gilmore W. Johnson of the North Carolina Department of Public Education (the licensing agency in North Carolina for these schools) and with Mr. Bernard H. Ehrlich, an attorney, who represents the national accrediting agency for trade and technical schools. In addition, copies of the proposed licensing bill were mailed to all schools in the State included within its purview soliciting their opinions and suggested changes. Generally, the comments received were favorable and supported the proposed legislation.

After completing its study, the committee gave its report to the Council, which in turn carefully reviewed the recommendations contained therein and submits this, its report to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia recommending the enactment of legislation for the reasons indicated.