One Structural Engineer was awarded fifteen months study leave to attend an M.Sc. Course in Civil Engineering (Structures) at the City University, London.
4.96
One Engineering Assistant (Building Services) was awarded a four-year B.Sc. Degree Course in Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. One Surveying Assistant (Quantity) commenced a two-year attachment with practical training and part-time day release course at the Trent Polytechnic in the U.K. leading to the R.I.C.S. Final Part II examination. One Assistant Quantity Surveyor and one Surveying Assistant (Quantity) were each awarded a three-year Diploma Course in Building Economics at the Polytechnic, Central London.
4.97
Twenty-six local officers of the Quantity Surveying Branch and two local officers of the Maintenance Branch were granted full-pay study leave to enable them to prepare for the R.I.C.S. and I.Q.S. examinations.
4.98
Evening courses at the Hong Kong Polytechnic in subjects pertaining to building construction, structural engineering, quantity surveying, and electrical and mechanical engineering were attended by eighty-seven junior staff.
4.99 Twenty-nine students of the Hong Kong Polytechnic and eight architectural students of the University of Hong Kong received summer vacation training in the fields of structural engineering and building construction. In addition, fourteen students of the Polytechnic and three students of the University of Hong Kong were employed during the summer vacation on the conversion of existing standard drawings from imperial to metric dimensions, draughting work in the Maintenance Branch, and assisting in the preparation of a metric version of a handbook of reinforced concrete design data and tables.
4.100
Four junior members of the Office attended courses at the Outward Bound School during the year.
4.101
All junior staff received in-service training and nineteen were promoted by examination boards during the year. As in previous years, a training scheme for technical officers who are studying for a professional qualification (i.e. Building Surveyor or Maintenance Surveyor) was operated in conjunction with the Buildings Ordinance Office. The officers spent periods in both the Architectural Office and in the Buildings Ordinance Office to broaden their experience and to assist them in their studies.
Welfare
4.102
The Architectural Office held its annual Christmas Party which was very successful and well attended by members of the staff.
4.103
The Office participated in the 6th P.W.D. Sports Day held in December 1973, taking first place in ten-pin bowling, lawn bowls and sailing, second place in basketball and third place in golf. Mr. MOK Tit-keung of the Office retained the Whitehead Cup which he had won the previous year as Best Field Athlete.
41