Page 40 of 187
49
0
D
1
48
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Grade Place Subject Area Health Inspectors United Kingdom Meat and Other Food Health Inspectors United Kingdom Health Education Health Inspectors United Kingdom Cleansing Testamur Health Inspectors Australia Horticulture Museum Assistants United Kingdom Archaeological Restoration and Conservation Assistant Librarians United Kingdom Librarianship (under half-pay Government Scholarship Scheme)Currently, 26 officers are now in United Kingdom and Australia studying Meat and Food, Health Education, Horticulture and Pest Control Laboratory techniques. In the next few months a further 23 officers will depart for overseas training courses.
I have commented, thus far, on junior staff training. Senior staff participate in suitable courses provided by the Central Government Training Unit. Furthermore, a number of senior staff have undertaken overseas programmes such as Personnel Management, Senior Management, Middle Management and Organization and Method Courses. Number of study visits are also encouraged and include subjects such as Cleansing and Horticulture, and visits to Libraries and Museums. These visits are usually made in conjunction with attendance at conferences and meetings. In this respect, I am happy to acknowledge the detailed and stimulating report on "Cleansing Services in Australia" which was produced by Mr. Seymour Bux our Staff Officer (Transport) as a result of a holiday visit to that country, and which is now being studied by Dr. Denny HUANG, Chairman of the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee.
As I have indicated above, the Council and the Department fully support an expansion of training for staff in management and supervisory techniques. To reinforce our efforts in this area, provision has been made in the 1974-75 estimates for a Senior Executive Officer (Training) to ensure overall responsibilities for the Departmental Training Unit. Additionally, the Administration Select Committee in its meeting of 27th May, 1974 recommended an additional post of Chief Health Inspector (Training) to supervise Health Inspector Training in future.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
I trust that Mr. FORSGATE is satisfied with the progress being made in this important area; and in view of his own wide management training knowledge and experience on services, I hope he will not hesitate to provide his advice and assistance to the Department.
MR. FORSGATE (in English):-Mr. Chairman. I am certainly satisfied with the length of the reply. But I wonder if Mr. MACKENZIE and his Select Committee could look into the wider administrative training necessary for our large and grand Urban Services Department. I see the Productivity Centre's helping as a start, but could not also the services of, for example, the Hong Kong Management Association be utilized?
MR. MACKENZIE (in English):-Mr. Chairman. I hope that, in addition to the length, Mr. FORSGATE is satisfied with the quality of the answer. The Hong Kong Management Association, of course, does run many useful, practical courses which, in my opinion, are amply suitable for participation by U.S.D. staff. We have, in fact, considered recently at our last meeting possible participation in one of these courses, but we discourage this as being, perhaps, a little too sophisticated for the basic needs in training which are evident to the department. I would say, however, that if suitable courses are available in the Management Association and through the Productivity Centre, staff should certainly be encouraged to participate and I believe that, apart from the value they would learn from the academic side, their exchange of minds and ideas with other managers in different areas of commercial/professional pursuits would be found stimulating.
MR. FORSGATE (in English):-I notice in the final paragraph on page 2 of the reply that the suitable courses are provided by the Central Government Training Unit. How suitable are those courses? I have assurance from Mr. MACKENZIE that his Select Committee will examine the suitability in the light of our more peculiar knowledge of requirements of the Urban Council?
MR. MACKENZIE (in English):-Mr. Chairman. I can't give any detailed first-hand account of the Central Government training facilities or services, we find it very difficult to penetrate into these distant areas. But I will investigate further in the Department how many courses are provided by this Unit, whether we are participating fully in utilizing the vacancies which are available, and see if we can make some assessment of the quality of the services which are being provided.
Page 40
Page 41
Page 41