TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1982
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PLEA FOR PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES
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EMPLOYERS OF ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN URGED TO PROVIDE ENGINEERING GRADUATES WITH MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR POST-GRADUATE PRACTICAL TRAINING.
THE PLEA WAS MADE BY ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR (INDUSTRIAL TRAINING), MR HORACE KNIGHT, IN A TALK ON THE TRAINING OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AT THE LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF PENINSULA TODAY (TUESDAY).
IN PARTICULAR, HE CALLED ON THE EMPLOYERS TO PARTICIPATE IN A PRACTICAL TRAINING SCHEME FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES, WHICH WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE NEWLY-ESTABLISHED VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL.
MR KNIGHT POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG HAD BEEN FACING A CRITICAL PROBLEM OF INSUFFICIENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ENGINEERING GRADUATES.
HE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BROUGHT ABOUT A SHORTAGE OF TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS, PROMPTING BOTH THE PRIVATE SECTION AND GOVERNMENT TO LOOK OUTSIDE HONG KONG FOR ENGINEERS.
IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, MR KNIGHT CONTINUED, HONG KONG'S ENGINEERING EDUCATION HAD UNDERGONE RAPID EXPANSION, BUT THIS HAD NOT BEEN MATCHED BY A SIMILAR INCREASE IN THE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.
AND PRACTICAL TRAINING WAS NOT ONLY ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR RECOGNITION FOR CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP STATUS OF A PROFESSIONAL BODY, BUT WAS NECESSARY FOR TURNING GRADUATES INTO FULLY TRAINED ENGINEERS,
+SO CONTRARY TO WHAT MANY PEOPLE THINK, INCREASING THE OUTPUT OF GRADUATES HAS NOT AND WILL NOT SOLVE THE APPARENT SHORTAGE OF TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS, HE NOTED.
MR KNIGHT BELIEVED THAT THE SCHEME TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL WOULD PROVIDE THE NECESSARY INCENTIVES THAT WOULD MOTIVATE THE EMPLOYERS CONCERNED TO PROVIDE MORE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGINEERING GRADUATES.
IN CONCLUSION, MR KNIGHT PLEADED: IF THE PROBLEM WAS CONSIDERED URGENT IN THE 60'S, IT IS CRUCIAL IN THE 80'S. IT CAN AND MUST. BE SOLVED BUT THERE WILL BE NO SOLUTION UNLESS EMPLOYERS OF ENGINEERS ARE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHEME AND CO-OPERATE WITH THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL BY TAKING ON GRADUATES FOR TRAINING.
+FOR THE SAKE OF HONG KONG'S INDUSTRY AND YOUNG PEOPLE,
1 HOPE THAT WILLINGNESS AND CO-OPERATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING.+
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