XN000022-1975-10-08 — Page 32

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8. 1975

INDUSTRY URGED TO CONSIDER TRAINING NEEDS

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NOW IS THE TIME FOR INDUSTRY TO CONSIDER TRAINING NEEDS CAREFULLY AS BUSINESS IS STARTING TO PICK UP THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), MR. DANIEL WATERS SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING AT THE MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KWUN TONG, MR. WATERS STATED THAT IT TOOK AROUND THREE OR FOUR YEARS TO TRAIN A CRAFTSMAN OR A TECHNICIAN.

HE POINTED OUT THAT WHILE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WAS PROVIDED BY INDUSTRY, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF FORMAL APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING, AS ADVOCATED BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, *WAS PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE COURSES WHICH PROVIDED RELATED

TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.

AT PRESENT THERE WERE ABOUT 2,200 PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE STUDENTS IN THE THREE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES COMPARED WITH 500 WHEN SUCH COURSES STARTED IN SEPTEMBER 1970.

BUT MR. WATERS SAID THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE INCREASED STILL MORE RAPIDLY.

HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE APPRENTICESHIP BILL IN THE NEAR FUTURE THIS FORM OF TRAINING WOULD BECOME MORE POPULAR WITH INDUSTRALISTS.

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAID: +WHILE THE MAIN TASK OF TECHNICAL INSTITUTES IS TO PROVIDE RELATED TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR INDUSTRIAL PERSONNEL NEVERTHELESS WE ARE ALSO CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF BROADENING THE EDUCATIONAL BASE SO THAT MORE SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY BIASED COURSES ARE RUN.+

UP.

AT PRESENT A TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WAS BEING DRAWN

THE GOVERNMENT WAS VERY CONSCIOUS OF THE NEED TO DEVELOP TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND HAD GIVEN A CONSIDERABLE DEGREE OF PRIORITY TO THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE PROGRAMME.

+THE OVERALL PLAN, HE SAID, +HAS BEEN DRAWN UP IN DETAIL AND IS BASED ON THE SURVEYS AND RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND BY ITS SUCCESSOR, THE HONG KONG TRAINING COUNCIL.+

THE TWO NEW TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AT KWAI CHUNG AND KWUN TONG WERE BUILT AND EQUIPPED AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE AND, AS WITH THE FIRST INSTITUTE AT MORRISON HILL, THE RECURRENT EXPENDITURE WAS ALSO BORNE BY THE GOVERNMENT.

/+IN TURN,