THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF HONG KONG
Report of the Principal on Work of the Building Department 1948/51
26th on
March, 1951, at the College.
delivered
It is with pleasure that I, on behalf of all members of the College welcome you to this, the first presentation of Diplomas and Prizes to be held since the war.
You will notice that only students of building are today receiv- ing Diplomas, which rises out of the fact that, after the re-occupation, cir- cumstances enable the Builders to open classes a year before the En- gineers. As this therefore is a Build- I am ing occasion,
confining this report to that department rather than dealing with the work of the College as a whole.
The charge most frequently levelled at all full time Technical Training courses is that they tend to become divorced from the realities of commer- cial life-too much theory, too little practice. This is an error into which it is only too easy to fall, but I think we can show that students who pass through our Building Department leave with an amount of practical ex- perience at least equal to any in the United Kingdom, as the Three Year Course is organised on the "sandwich" system by which Students attend classes for four months, then do two months on buildings with a contractor. It follows that in any one year students do eight months in the College and four months on the ste. With the valued help of the Public Work De- partment the student is then in most instances enabled to continue his prac- tical training for 2 years after com- pleting his Diploma Course.
The ultimate test of any course in Technical Training is the employability of its products in the chosen industry and their promotion within it. From this test our Building Course emerges with crenit, as by far the great major- ity of our pre-war students are still employed in the Building Trade, and the better ones have achieved re- munerative positions of considerable responsibility. Their very success has caused me considerable embarrassment as I have confidently hoped to be able to recruit one or two of our best pre- war student to the staff of this College, hut unfortunately for us a salary scale designed for a junior expatriate officer is not sufficient attraction.
From 1935 when a Department of Building was under consideration we have owed much to the interest and generosity of the Building Contractors Association. They assisted with the original building during the crisis of
1935-36, participated in our scheme for buildings from practical training on
the beginning, and provide valuable result of the prizes awarded as a Diploma examinations.
The object of the Course has always been clearly stated-to train young men for posts such as draftsmen, over- seers, contractors assistants and clerks- of-works in the budding industry. The fundamental subjects are therefore Building Construction, Building Draw- ing and Builders Quantities. The im- portance of the Building Workshop is also stressed, though I fear it is some- times not fully appreciated by students who find some of the physical labour involved somewhat onerous. We how- ever insist that, as far as possible, parts of buildings drawn by the student in the drawing office shall be correctly made by him in the shop. The realities of Building are therefore kept before. him at all times, and he learns to ap- preciate the workers point of view by personal experience.
At the same time as it is fully real- ised that the youth who leaves Hong Kong for less well developed areas will not always have an architect im- mediately available, we have included in the syllabus courses in design of simple structures in timber, steel and reinforced concrete, and in surveying considerably in advance of what is normally taught in building courses, and sufficient to enable the student to design and detail, as well as construct, simple structures without outside help. This knowledge of elementary design also prevents silly mistakes in erection, and the taking of undue risks due to lack of appreciation of the forces in- volved.
In considering the training of these full time Diploma students we must not forget that the Building Depart- ment operates a considerable number of Evening Classes for young men, mainly foremen and draftsmen, engag- ed in the Building Industry by day. This work is equal to the Day work but as we are endeavouring to reach the Day standard in fundamental sub- jects it will be some time yet before these students are eligible to receive certificates.
The individual who deserves most credit for the standard reached by Building students is undoubtedly Mr. N. J. Bebbington who came to 135 from the Public Works Department as the first Chief Instructor in Building in 1936. By his untiring energy and
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thorough knowledge of his profession he has built up a Department and a scheme of training which would com- pare favourably with any in the United Kingdom.
It is with the deepest regret that have to report that Mr. Bebbington leaves us on retirement within the next few days, and we wish him and Mrs. Bebbington a long and happy life in Great Britain. Mr. Bebbington has set an extremely high standard for his successor whom we hope to welcome in the Colony before long.
We are much indebted to Mr. Michael Wright, Chief Architect, Pub- lic Work Department who has resum- ed his pre-war appointment as external examiner. His criticisms have been most helpful, and potential employers can rest assured that any student who has received a Diploma has really earned it.
On this occasion 22 students were presented for examination. Of these 8 passed with distinction, 7 passed, and 7 who did not satisfy the examiner in one subject, have been referred for re-examination in that subject in Nov- ember. It is extraordinary that by far the greatest number of failures has been in Building Drawing, a subject whch receies much attention, and in which the course work has been good
A welcome innovation in this course has been the presence of a part time student released by the Water Office of the Public Works Department for half time day study. This student has achieved a very creditable pass in his Diploma examination, and it is hoped that in the not too far distant future "part time release" may become a fea- ture of some types of apprenticeship.
A real difficulty has been deciding on the minimum standard of education required for admission to the building department, bearing in mind the length. of training involved and the kind of appointment eventually open to ex- students. The type of man we train is the technician, who is the connect- ing link between the professional architect or engineer and the trades- man, and who in Hong Kong requires a sound knowledge of English in order that byelaws and contracts may be clearly understood. We therefore pre- fer the Class II student and provide a course of training for those unable to spare the time or money required for a full University Professional Course. I feel, however that we should also provide an avenue for good Senior Middle 11 students, and I propose to include a number of these in the next building class recruited, though by so doing we may require the services of a teacher of English.
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