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Monday, November 13, 1972
Mr. Wu said his committee had conducted a manpower survey and later
published a report in 1971, in which it was recommended to the Government that
technical education facilities in printing be urgently provided. The report
also recommended that industry should set up a training scheme.
"Government has accepted this recommendation and a printing department
will be set up in the new technical institute in Kwun Tong which is expected to
be operational by 1975.
"The primary purpose of the department will be to run courses for
apprentices in the printing industry," he said.
Mr. Wu said that in view of the time gap between now and 1975, his
committee had recently further recommended the establishment of a teaching
workshop to be administered by the Morrison Hill Technical Institute in
temporary premises. This recommendation was receiving urgent consideration by
the Government, he added.
The 1971 report, he said, described the training in the industry as
"limited, out-dated, haphazard and of low standard", and showed that the annual
additional need of craftsmen and technicians at the time of the survey and in
the immediate future was no less than 1,125 and 125 respectively.
According to that survey, the trades where the shortage of manpower
was most acute included hand compositors, letterpress and litho-offset pressmen,
bench workers and book-binders.
Mr. Wu stressed the importance for printing industrialists to seriously
consider playing their role in the training of skilled manpower to meet the
needs of the industry.
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