7. The technical institutes
7.1
The principal objective of the post-secondary technical and commercial education provided in the technical institutes is to provide an education complement to the practical training provided by industry in its own premises or in central training facilities such as the Training Centres that have been provided by the Training Authorities for the clothing and construction industries. This co-operation by Government and industry will contribute to producing an adequate supply of well- educated and well-trained craftsmen and technicians for existing industries and also to maintain and advance Hong Kong's readiness to meet the requirements of new industries with a high technological content. These institutions are not concerned with providing courses at the operative level, as such courses are the responsibility of industry itself. Government is determined to ensure that full use is made of the expanded facilities now available in the technical institutes.
7.2
An important aim is to provide for a proper balance between the different levels of courses. In this connection it should be noted that in the technically-based industries in Hong Kong, for every one person working at the technologist level there are more than four at the technician level and about eleven at the craft level, and new job vacancies at present arise roughly in these proportions, although, as noted in Chapter 5, the proportion of higher-level jobs may increase over time. It is important to ensure that there is an adequate supply of craftsmen to provide the necessary support for the technicians and technologists. To meet this need, priority in the technical institutes will be given initially to developing craft-level courses. About 80% of the day-time places on technically-based courses at technical institutes will be at the craft level, with courses at the technician level being provided mainly in the Polytechnic. During the 1980's, if this is shown to be justified by industrial manpower requirements, the number of ordinary technician programmes at the technical institutes may be increased. Such a development would enable increased emphasis to be placed at the Polytechnic on higher technician and technologist programmes.
7.3
Craft and technician education is usually most successful when conducted on a part-time basis, in conjunction with employment providing practical training on the job.
At
the craft level, students are released to attend courses at a technical institute as part of their contract of apprenticeship. The development of such arrangements has been fostered by the
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