SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1984
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CRAFT TRAINING +WORTHWHILE+
****
TRAINING WAS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT WHICH PRODUCED GREATER EFFICIENCY, CUT COSTS, IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES, AND, ENSURED A SUPPLY OF HIGHLY SKILLED OPERATIVES IN ANY
ORGANISATION, THE DIRECTOR OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANCIAL SERVICES, MR GRAHAM OSBORNE, SAID YESTERDAY (FRIDAY).
MR OSBORNE WAS SPEAKING AT THE DEPARTMENT'S 21ST CRAFT APPRENTICE GRADUATION CEREMONY.
SEVENTY-NINE APPRENTICES GRADUATED, AND MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN OFFERED APPOINTMENTS, EITHER AS ARTISANS, OR AS RADIO-MECHANICS WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
THE INVESTMENT HAD BEEN WORTHWHILE AND FRUITFUL, AND A LARGE NUMBER OF GRADUATED APPRENTICES HAD BEEN RETAINED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS.
+WE ARE ALL AWARE THAT HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROSPERITY DEPENDS, TO A GREAT EXTENT, ON ITS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, BECAUSE WE HAVE NO NATURAL RESOURCES, HE SAID.
+ IT IS IMPERATIVE, THEREFORE, THAT WE MAKE FULL USE OF OUR MOST VALUABLE ASSET - HUMAN RESOURCES, BY ENCOURAGING MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TO JOIN INDUSTRY AND BY PROVIDING THEM WITH ADEQUATE TRAINING.
+ IT IS ONLY BY DOING SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO COMPETE FAVOURABLY WITH OUR NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES IN WORLD MARKETS.+
GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN THE LEAD LONG AGO, IN PROVIDING FORMAL ENGINEERING TRAINING IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.
A TRADE APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED IN THE 1950'S, ALTHOUGH THE INTAKE EACH YEAR WAS RELATIVELY SMALL.
IT WAS OVERHAULED AND EXPANDED IN 1969, AND DIVIDED INTO TECHNICAL APPRENTICESHIP AND CRAFT APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMES, TO MEET MANPOWER NEEDS.
SINCE THE OPERATION OF THESE SCHEMES, 992 CRAFT APPRENTICES HAD COMPLETED THE IR TRAINING. MANY OF THEM WERE STILL WITH GOVERNMENT, SOME HOLDING KEY POSTS.
THE LAISHLEY HE CONGRATULATED THE GRADUATES, IN PARTICULAR, CUP WINNER, MR CHAN YUET-MING, AND THE HOWES PLAQUE WINNER, MR WONG TAK-WAI.
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