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The Building side must cover levelling and setting out, foundations, reinforced con- crete work, drainage, carpenter's and joiner's work, plumbing, house wiring, brick- work and masonry, preparation of bills of quantities, estimates, etc. Trade knowledge some experience of teaching, preferably evening classes, would In addition to be an advantage, while it is considered essential that all instructors should have covered an approved lecture course at a Technical Institution of good standing.
It would be extremely unsound and wasteful to regard these instructors as available for "trade" or "shop work" instruction only. One of their main duties during expansion will be the supervision of the training up of well educated young Chinese as instructors in the separate trades comprising the course. difficulty makes it essential that much of the trade training in Senior Courses, and The language all such training in Part Time and Minor Courses, should be given in Chinese : close supervision of the Chinese instructors will be required, and it is felt that between giving the necessary lectures and supervising in the shops, the European staff will be very fully occupied.
The Scale of Pay which seems appropriate to the Senior Instructor in the Engineering Department, who must hold a First Class Board of Trade Certificate in Marine Engineering is £450-30-£750.
The assistant (who should have specialised either in electrical machinery or automobile repair) would receive £400-20-£600.
The instructors in the Building Department would be paid at £400-20-£600 with £50 additional for the Senior Instructor.
It will be observed that it is proposed to put these instructors on a ten years' scale, by which time it will be possible to decide whether the Lecturer's grade should be instituted.
Since the success of the Trade School will depend very largely on the quality of its staff, the greatest care must be taken in their selection. case of selecting four good men, but rather of making a selection so that each is It is not merely a complementary to the others, among whom the pattern maker provided for in this year's estimates must be included. It is also possible that, in order to attract a specially good man, one or two increments would require to be allowed for approved experience; and if this were done for one man some general readjustment might be required.
For these reasons combined with the fact that, so far as is known, there is at present no one in England with the requisite local and technical knowledge re- quired for the selection of the Staff, is strongly felt that, if the scheme is to proceed, the Staff should be selected by a committee of which the Principal should be a member.
re-
The appointments should be made at least six months before the Staff quired in the Colony; the question of their giving notice to their employers is unlikely to be serious, but the value of each individual can probably be greatly increased by sending each to do a six months' course at an additional trade before leaving England.
Age:---Instructors should preferably be 25-27 years of age on appointment. Leave-Special arrangements will require to be made to establish a leave rota,
as it is obviously impossible to get in a substitute from outside.
It is expected that, by the time any question of leave arises, the pattern maker of the Junior Technical School will have trained up an assistant who will be able to relieve him of much of the elementary work. The qualifications which it is expected that the pattern mkaer will have are such that he should, after some train- ing in the Trade School, be able to act as a substitute where necessary in both the Building and Engineering Departments.
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Chinese Staff (Trade).
It can be taken for granted that, unless possibly in the Automobile Repair Trade, there are no adequately trained Chinese available in the Colony for posts as Trade Instructors. It seems highly probable that, in the first instance, we will require to appoint men on a temporary basis, possibly for as long as four or five years, while suitable instructors are trained up in the works. A knowledge of industrial conditions is absolutely essential for a Trade School instructor, for which reason it is not proposed to train up instructors in the Trade School itself, although these trainees will certainly attend special courses of instruction at the Trade School.
It is possible that, by the time these instructors are required, it will be possible to get one machineman and one plumber from Singapore; these would require to speak Cantonese fluently, to have passed through the Trade School, and have at least two years' industrial experience.
It would be highly convenient if an Engineering Graduate of Hong Kong Univer- sity could be induced to serve a complete four years' apprenticeship in the shops. He would be able to take all classes in Technical English, teach one or more selected trades, take over a number of lecture classes, and possible supervise in the Drawing Office. It would be essential that a maintenance grant be given during apprentice- ship, and that an adequate salary scale should be offered. Considering that such a man must take a more expensive course, must spend longer in training, must perform much more arduous duties and work longer hours than any University Trained Teachers at present in employment, an adequate scale of salary should be offered.
As regards the building trade, positions could be offered to foremen in the Public Works Department provided they show adequate knowledge.
A sound knowledge of English will be essential in all permanent Chinese Staff. It is not at present possible to state requirements exactly, but provision should be made for getting trainees into training as soon as the scheme is approved.
A Chinese instructional staff of about ten is contemplated for the Trade School.
A staff of eight University Trained Teachers is contemplated for the Junior Tech- nical School but this number may be reduced to six as suitable trainees complete their apprenticeship; or alternatively the number of students may be increased by the inclu- sion of a Junior Building Course.
Instructional Staffs-District Schools.
Provision is made in this year's Estimates for two well educated youths who will serve a special two years' apprenticeship in the joiner's shop in Taikoo Dock. They will gain the requisite knowledge of teaching by assisting in the evening Trade classes held at present in the Junior Technical School under the Technical Institute.
These youths will receive a maintenance grant during training and, on completion of their course will be taken on the Technical Staff. They will act as Visiting Instruc- tors at the various District Schools where their services are required, the quality of their work being supervised by the Principal, Trade and Technical Schools,
On
A suitable rate of pay would, in the first instance, be $960-80-$1800. reaching their maximum, these instructors should be considered for promotion to a scale of $2400-80-$3600 according to their efficiency and the general success of the
courses.
A fairly high salary rate is essential, as these instructors will carry out much of their work without immediate supervision; it is therefore necessary to attract a very good type of youth to these posts.
Further trainees can be put into training as required.
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