EDUCATION
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during the year. Findings again showed that graduates were readily recruited, and that most found work relevant to the training they had received.
Industrial Training
The VTC's 24 industrial training centres provide basic training and skills upgrading for industrial craftsmen and technicians, and for clerical and supervisory personnel in the service sector. In 1993, over 40 000 trainees attended full-time or part-time courses. Trade tests for serving employees were offered in six industries-- building and civil engineering, the automobile and electrical industries, machine shop and metalworking, plastics and printing. Training boards, in conjunction with educational and training institutions, organised out-centre training courses to upgrade or update serving employees.
The Engineering Graduate Training Scheme, administered by the VTC, helps en- gineering students and graduates complete the professional training which will gain them recognition by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers or other professional bodies. In 1993, 80 engineering firms took part in the scheme, which provided 295 training places.
The VTC's Management Development Centre conducts research and development projects, and promotes management training. Its projects include work with owner- managers and entrepreneurial firms, development of learning materials, and activities with management trainers and business executives.
The Clothing Industry Training Authority operates two training centres, funded by a levy on the export value of clothing and footwear. In 1993, about 6 000 trainees attended courses. Jointly with the Hong Kong Productivity Centre, the authority also operated a clothing technology demonstration centre, keeping the industry abreast of the latest technology by demonstrating it in a real-life setting. The Construction Industry Training Authority, funded by a levy on the value of construction works exceeding $1 million, operates three training centres, providing about 4 000 training places. Full-time courses are offered for new craftsmen, operatives and supervisors, and part-time upgrading courses are organised for those already working in the construction industry.
Training in New Technologies
The VTC's Precision Tooling Training Centre houses a training unit for precision sheet metal processing, set up in 1990 with financial and expert technical help from the Japan International Co-operation Agency under an agreement between the governments of Hong Kong and Japan. The unit plays an important part in the transfer of precision sheet metal technology to local industries.
The New Technology Training Scheme provides matching grants to companies wishing to help their staff acquire skills in new technologies. Between the scheme's launch in June 1992 and the end of 1993, 49 applications were approved.
Re-training for Local Workers
A statutory Employees Retraining Board was set up in October 1992 to administer an employees' re-training scheme, in which older workers displaced by economic restructuring are reoriented to new jobs and acquire new skills through specially devised programmes. They receive a training allowance of up to $3,400 per month for attending day courses, and $30 per day for evening courses. By the year's end, 6 900 had been re-trained. The scheme is