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Training Council will recommend the designation of several more trades,
which are common to both industries, in the near future.
I thank Mr. Allen Lee for his encouraging reference to the
merits of Apprenticeship. Members may be interested to know that arising
out of the efforts of the Industrial Training Branch the number of
apprentices registered under the Apprenticeship Crdinance has risen from
about 3,500 by end of 1977 to about 6,000 this year. This increase has
resulted in a substantial increase in the enrolment of part-time day
release students in the technical institutes this year.
You also informed Members, Sir, that you intended to appoint
further training boards and committees to cater for the training needs
of the commercial and service sectors. I hope these appointments will
take effect from 1st January 1979. Members may be interested to know
that the technically qualified staff needed to service these training
boards and committees is now being recruited and that I hope I shall be
able to provide service to some of, if not all, these boards and committees
by early 1979.
Mr. Cheong-leen referred to a survey on the vocational
training and employment problems facing young people living in the
Chaiwan Temporary Housing Area. As I understand it the main conclusion
from the survey was the need to ensure that these young people were
informed or had access to the information about how to obtain training
and what opportunitics were available.
The Industrial Training Branch has been liaising with the
Housing Department on how best to inform young people in these areas
of the training opportunities available in industry, as well as to assist
/them
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