THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1978
LABOUR COMMISSIONER STRESSES
IMPORTANCE OF PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS
******
PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HAVE BECOME A SOURCE OF TECHNICAL MANPOWER SUPPLY FOR HONG KONG INDUSTRY, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR. PETER WILLIAMS, SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING IN CANTONESE AT THE UNVEILING OF A COMMEMORATIVE STONE FOR THE MARDEN FOUNDATION CARITAS PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN SHA TIN, HE SAID PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROVIDED HONG KONG'S VITAL INDUSTRIES WITH PEOPLE WHO HAD THE NECESSARY FOUNDATION FROM WHICH THEY CAN DEVELOP NEW SKILLS AS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES.
MR. WILLIAMS NOTED THAT IN 1977, ALMOST 90 PER CENT OF THE GRADUATES FROM PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ENTERED INDUSTRY.
BOY
THE MAJORITY, HE ADDED, WERE PLACED IN PROPER APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMES BY THE TRAINING COUNCIL DIVISION OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT.
+THIS NOT ONLY REFLECTS EMPLOYERS' PREDISPOSITION FOR PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS BUT ALSO INDICATES THAT PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HAVE BECOME A SOURCE OF TECHNICAL MANPOWER SUPPLY THAT IS VITAL TO HONG KONG, + MR. WILLIAMS SAID.
AS FAR AS CAREERS IN INDUSTRY ARE CONCERNED, HE SAID, STUDENTS IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HAVE A DEFINITE ADVANTAGE OVER THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN OTHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
+ BECAUSE OF THE BASIC PRACTICAL TRAINING GIVEN IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, THOSE WHO WISH TO ENTER INTO AN APPROVED APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME TO PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR A CAREER IN INDUSTRY ARE NORMALLY EXEMPTED FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF A CRAFT APPRENTICESHIP AS WELL AS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF THE RELATED PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE CRAFT COURSE IN A TECHNICAL INSTITUTE,+ MR. WILLIAMS SAID.
+ THE MORE DETERMINED CAN CONTINUE THE IR TECHNICAL STUDIES ON A PART-TIME BASIS TO ACHIEVE TECHNICIAN STATUS, HE ADDED.
TIN SCHOOL WOULD FIT IN WITH ALL THE TREMENDOUS CHANGE HA
EARLIER, MR. JOHN MARDEN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE SHA
WERE TAKING PLACE IN THE AREA.
WHICH
HE SAID: THE FLEXIBILITY OF A PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL MEANS THAT IT CAN VARY THE EMPHASIS OF ITS CURRICULUM TO FIT IN WITH THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE OFFERING PRACTICAL COURSES IN SUBJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY DISCUSSED WITH THE COMMUNITY LEADERS HERE AND WHICH WE HOPE WILL BE REALLY USEFUL TO THE STUDENTS WHEN THEY COME TO DECIDE ON A CAREER.+
MR. MARDEN ADDED THE NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS WOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE AND EVERYONE WOULD BE WELCOME.
THE SCHOOL COMPLEX, WHICH WILL COMPRISE THREE BLOCKS, TWO OF WHICH WILL BE SEVEN STOREYS HIGH, IS EXPECTED TO RECEIVE ITS FIRST BATCH OF 360 BOYS AND GIRLS IN SEPTEMBER NEXT YEAR.
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