Shorthand has for many years been a source of discussion. Only one secretary used shorthand, but another secretary bemoaned her lack of shorthand so it appears that it is necessary, but in work shorthand is frequently transcribed much later, whereas in college it was always transcribed within 45 minutes of the dictation. Nor was shorthand used for taking messages in the training office, thus demonstrating that it was an isolated skill.Since the introduction of NVQs the secretarial curriculum has been narrowed by the removal of some of the complementary subjects which used to accompany the skills. The subjects which have now disappeared include basic book-keeping, an understanding of business organisation and general management theory.