WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 1986
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CENTRE TO TRAIN PRECISION TOOL MAKERS SET UP
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THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL HAS SET UP A $27-MILLION PRECISION TOOL ING TRAINING CENTRE AT KOWLOON BAY TO ENSURE THERE WERE SUFFICIENT WELL-TRAINED PERSONNEL AVAILABLE TO OPERATE SOPHISTICATED MACHINE TOOLS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PRECISION METAL AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS.
SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY TODAY (WEDNESDAY) TO MARK THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CENTRE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL, MR MORRIS MORGAN, SAID INDUSTRIAL ISTS WERE BEGINNING TO INVEST IN SOPHISTICATED MACHINE TOOLS, SUCH AS THE COMPUTER NUMERICALLY CONTROLLED (CNC) MACHINES, AND WERE REAPING THE BENEFITS OF FASTER OUTPUT, LOWER MANNING LEVELS, AND HIGHER AND MORE CONSISTENT QUALITY STANDARDS.
+TO ENSURE THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES AND OUR MANUFACTUR ING INDUSTRIES REMAIN COMPETITIVE, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO UPGRADE EXISTING TOOLING WORKERS, PARTICULARLY IN THE FIELD OF CNC MACHINING.+
MR MORGAN SAID THE CENTRE, WHICH WOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH ABOUT 80 MACHINES INCLUDING SOME OF THE LATEST CNC MACHINES WOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HONG KONG WORKERS TO OBTAIN A SKILL LEVEL COMPARABLE WITH THOSE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
A BRITISH-MADE BRIDGEPORT CNC MACHINING CENTRE WAS RECENTLY INSTALLED IN THE PRECISION TOOLING TRAINING CENTRE. IT WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN HONG KONG.
ALSO SPEAKING AT THE CEREMONY, SENIOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER, MR REG HOLLOWAY, SAID THAT THE CENTRE NOT ONLY SHAPED METAL, IT ALSO SHAPED AND IMPROVED THE SKILLS OF ENGINEERS WHO WERE NEEDED TO SUSTAIN MODERN INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION.
+MACHINE TOOLS ARE AN IMPORTANT UK EXPORT AND BRIDGEPORT HAS 75 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PRODUCING FINE MACHINE TOOLS,+ HE SAID.
HE CONGRATULATED THE COUNCIL ON THE EXTRAORDINARY ROLE IT WAS PLAYING IN PROVIDING SKILL WORKERS WHICH HONG KONG INDUSTRY NEEDED.
HE ECHOED THE VIEWS OF THE BRITISH SECRETARY OF EMPLOYMENT, LORD YOUNG, WHO SAID THAT THE COUNCIL'S TRAINING CENTRES WERE THE BEST THAT HE HAD SEEN.
THE CENTRE WILL OFFER FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME COURSES FOR 100 TRAINEES COVERING THE COMPLETE RANGE OF PRECISION TOOLING ENGINEERING EARLY NEXT YEAR.
SHORT MODULAR COURSES OF FOUR-WEEK DURATION WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER FOR THOSE WANTING TO UPDATE OR UPGRADE THE IR SKILLS IN A SPECIFIC ASPECT OF TOOLING MAKING.
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