WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1986
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TIME TO VALIDATE MOTOR APPRENTICE SKILLS
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THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD FEELS THE TIME HAS COME TO VALIDATE THE SKILLS OF AUTOMOBILE CRAFT WORKERS TRAINED UNDER THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL'S APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME.
THIS WAS SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, MR M.J. VENABLES, WHEN SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY AT WHICH THE BEST MOTOR APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR WAS NAMED.
THE BOARD HAD NOW PROPOSED TO THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL THAT TRADE TESTING BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE INDUSTRY, MR VENABLES SAID.
HE SAID THAT BESIDES HELPING TO AROUSE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING, THE BEST APPRENTICE COMPETITION HAD PROVIDED THE BOARD WITH VALUABLE EXPERIENCE IN IMPLEMENTING TRADE TESTING IF IT WAS ASKED TO DO SO.
+THE COMPETITION ORGANISED BY THE BOARD IN JULY HAS PROVED USEFUL IN IDENTIFYING THE STRENGTHS AS WELL AS WEAKNESSES OF APPRENTICES WHERE TRAINING NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED, HE NOTED,
AFTER A THEORY QUIZ AND A PRACTICAL SKILLS TEST ON AUTOMOBILE MECHANICS AND CAR ENGINE REPAIR, MR WU KWOK-YAN, AN APPRENTICE OF THE KOWLOON MOTOR BUS COMPANY, WAS DECLARED THE BEST VEHICLE MECHANIC APPRENTICE FROM AMONG 49 CONTESTANTS.
FIRST AND SECOND RUNNERS-UP WERE MR LAI SIU-MAN AND MR AU CHI-WAI, WHO ARE BOTH EMPLOYED BY PRIVATE CAR FIRMS.
THEY WERE PRESENTED TROPHIES, CERTIFICATES AND OTHER PRIZES BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL, MR MORRIS MORGAN, AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MOTOR TRADERS ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG, MR RICHARD LEE.
THE WINNER AND RUNNERS-UP ARE ENTERING THE FINAL YEAR OF THEIR APPRENTICESHIP. THEY WILL BECOME QUALIFIED CRAFTSMEN ON COMPLETION OF THEIR TRAINING.
TEXTILE TALKS WITH EEC CONTINUING
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NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY ON A SUCCESSOR TO THE CURRENT HONG KONG-EEC TEXTILES AGREEMENT WHICH EXPIRES ON DECEMBER 31, 1986 ARE STILL CONTINUING TODAY (WEDNESDAY), A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRADE DEPARTMENT SAID.
COMMENTING ON THE PROGRESS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID: +MAJOR PROBLEMS ARISING FROM THE HARMONISED SYSTEM HAVE BEEN LARGELY RESOLVED. CONTRARY TO EARLIER REPORTS EMANATING FROM BRUSSELS, THE NEGOTIATIONS HAVE AT NO STAGE BEEN 'STALEMATED'.+
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