EDUCATION
technologies. During the year, the VTC received 837 applications of which 701 were approved.
Apprenticeship Schemes
The Apprenticeship Ordinance promotes and regulates the employment and training of apprentices. Anyone aged between 14 and 18 working in any of the 42 designated trades who has not already completed an apprenticeship in the trade must enter into a contract of apprenticeship with the employer. The contract must be registered with the Director of Apprenticeship who is concurrently the executive director of the VTC. Contracts in other trades may also be registered voluntarily.
Inspectors of Apprentices advise and help employers and apprentices in training and employment matters. They visit workplaces to ensure that training schemes are properly implemented. A free placement service is offered to job-seekers interested in an apprenticeship. During the year, 3 500 contracts were registered (1 000 in non- designated trades), covering 2 700 craft and 800 technician apprentices. At the end of December, 7 900 apprentices were being trained.
Training for People with a Disability
Five skills centres, three run by the VTC and two by voluntary agencies, prepare disabled people for open employment or mainstream technical education and industrial training. They provide 845 full-time places, of which 318 are residential. Support services provided by the VTC include a vocational assessment service, using internationally-recognised tests and work samples designed to match local skill profiles. All mildly mentally handicapped students attend a specific assessment programme in their final school year, while a comprehensive programme is used in assessing the more complex cases.
The VTC's Technical Aids and Resource Centre designs and makes aids for disabled people to enhance their training and employment prospects, and provides information and resource materials on vocational rehabilitation.
An inspectorate unit advises skills centres on administration, curriculum, training methods and standards, and provides guidance to disabled students on training courses. The unit works closely with the Labour Department's selective placement service to ensure that training matches the local employment market demand. About 78 per cent of disabled people completing full-time courses in technical institutes and skills centres entered open employment or enrolled in further courses in mainstream technical education during the year.
Tertiary Education
Ten years ago, less than five per cent of the 17-20 age group could receive tertiary education in Hong Kong. By 1994-95, this figure had been increased to 18 per cent, with 14 500 places available for first-year, first-degree courses. A further six per cent of the relevant age group now have access to first year sub-degree courses. Degrees up to doctorate level awarded locally are recognised by institutions of higher learning around the world. Academic standards are guaranteed by the appointment of external examiners from prominent overseas universities and colleges. The Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation validates courses and programmes offered by Hong Kong's non-university, degree-awarding institutions. There are eight
157