1974

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Appendix A

(See page 163)

QUESTION NO. 2

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

Reply by Mr. JOHN MACKENZIE, Chairman of the Administration Select Committee:

This question concerns the local and overseas training of Urban Services Department staff.

Both the Council and the Department recognise the need for comprehensive training programmes for Urban Services staff, including the build-up of specialist knowledge through overseas training courses. Although training programmes are currently considered on a year-to-year basis, we are now moving to longer-term assessment and planning in this field. It is evident that the new District organisation of Urban Services Department calls for a fresh approach to the question of management education and staff training at all levels.

It might be helpful to Members if I review briefly the present Departmental training arrangements. During the year significant changes have been introduced. A new post of Staff Officer (Training) has been created and the Departmental Training Unit re-organized into two sections, viz. a Departmental Training Section and the Health Inspectorate Training Section. The Departmental Training Section under the new Staff Officer (Training) is responsible for organising and administering the training of staff other than Health Inspectors. The Health Inspectorate Training Section, under the Chief Health Inspector (Training) continues to be responsible for the professional training of student Health Inspectors and other members of the Health Inspectorate.

Concurrently with this division of training responsibilities a Departmental Training Board has been established to supplement the existing Health Inspectorate Training Board. The newly appointed Secretary, Urban Services is the Chairman of the Departmental Training Board and is assisted in the supervision of general staff training by the four Regional Secretaries, the Executive Officer (Cultural Services) and the Staff Officer (Training). The Assistant Director (Hygiene) is Chairman of the Health Inspectorate Training Board with appropriate representation from Hygiene, Abattoirs and Cleansing Sections.

Each Board is responsible for the work of the two Training Sections, for advising on training policies and for the selection of officers for training.

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I will now give some account of our current training programmes and those planned for next year.

LOCAL TRAINING

As far as local training is concerned, induction courses are organized for new recruits and in-service training is provided for various grades of staff in such areas as horticulture, park-keeping, cleansing, pest control, etc.

Assistance from outside agencies has been sought in providing supervisory training and the Hong Kong Productivity Centre is currently running a preliminary series of twelve 5-day courses for a total of 180 first-line supervisors, namely Foremen, Overseers and Amenities Assistants.

The Hong Kong Management Association has also completed a study into the needs for longer-term management training and development of Urban Services Officers. The results of this study are now in hand and will be considered by the Administration Select Committee shortly.

CURRENT TRAINING ABROAD

As regards overseas training, there are now 25 USD officers studying abroad.

The number includes 20 Health Inspectors attending food inspection courses in Britain; 2 Amenities Assistants receiving horticultural training in Australia; 1 Amenities Officer studying landscape design in Australia; 1 Pest Control Officer with the Pest Infestation Control Laboratory in Britain and an Assistant Curator obtaining a Master's degree in museology in Toronto University.

FUTURE TRAINING

For the financial year 1975-76 provision of $1.41m. has been made for Departmental staff training. A copy of the training programme for 1975-76 is tabled and, from this, it will be noted that the cost breakdown in training expenditure shows the following:

55% expenditure on Health Inspectorate staff 22% on amenities (horticultural, etc.) staff 7% Library staff 7% City Hall management 5% Museum and Art Gallery staff 4% Others

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