INDUSTRY AND TRADE
Another major responsibility of the Industry Department is to monitor the availability of land and trained manpower for industry. Industrial land is normally sold by public auction or tender. Land can be sold under special terms where industries are land and capital-intensive, or use advanced technology, and where their presence is considered to be economically desirable.
During the year, the government put up for sale by auction or tender eight pieces of industrial land with a total area of 32 033 square metres. About 311 000 square metres of flatted factory space were completed by private developers.
Meanwhile, the two industrial estates in Tai Po and Yuen Long, managed by the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation, will be joined by a third industrial estate at Tseung Kwan O in 1994.
Technical education and industrial training are provided in two technical colleges, seven technical institutes and three industrial training centres run by the Vocational Training Council. In addition, the Clothing Industry Training Authority runs two training centres. Technological training at higher levels is mainly provided in Hong Kong's two polytechnics and three universities.
In June 1993, the government injected an additional capital sum of $50 million into the New Technology Training Scheme, on top of the original $55 million. The scheme was launched in June 1992 and is administered by the Vocational Training Council. It provides financial assistance to employers to train, either locally or overseas, their technologists and managers in new technologies strategically important for the industrial and economic development of Hong Kong. The number of training places and the level of training grants have since increased.
During the year, the department played an active role in assisting local manufacturers to comply with environmental measures. A consultancy study on support to industry on environmental matters, commissioned by the department in 1992, was completed in June 1993. The study assessed the operational and financial effects of current and planned environmental legislation and measures on manufacturing in Hong Kong. It recommended a package of support measures designed to help manufacturers improve their competi- tiveness while moving towards compliance with environmental controls. The department, together with other interested parties, is now planning the implementation of these support
measures.
In February, the department published an update to the booklet entitled A Guide to Pollution Control Legislation Affecting Manufacturing Industries. The guide provides basic information to manufacturers on environmental legislation and where technical advice can be obtained.
Promoting inward investment in Hong Kong's manufacturing industries is another important area of the department's work. The department provides information and assistance to potential overseas investors in Hong Kong and through overseas Industrial Promotion Units based in Tokyo, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Brussels and London. Much of the recent manufacturing investment has been from multinationals at the forefront of technological development, and this has helped raise technology and skill levels in the local manufacturing sector.
The department is also increasingly involved in the promotion of the wider application of quality assurance in the manufacturing sector. It has developed a range of services to assist manufacturers to improve the quality of their products. Its Standards and
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