XN000022-1977-08-10 — Page 21

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1977

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TWO INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRES TO BE OPENED SOON

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THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRES IS THE TANGIBLE RESULT OF YEARS OF JOINT EFFORTS OF THE TWO INDUSTRIES AND THE GOVERNMENT -- IN PARTICULAR THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, THE HON. FRANCIS TIEN TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

+THESE TRAINING CENTRES ARE A MILE-STONE IN THE HISTORY OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG, HE SAID, TABLING THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND CLOTHING

INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITIES.

THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE AT KOWLOON BAY HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILT WITH INITIAL FACILITIES TO TRAIN ABOUT 660 FULL-TIME TRAINEES EACH YEAR IN THE MAJOR CONSTRUCTION TRADES, MR. TIEN, WHO IS ALSO CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG TRAINING COUNCIL, SAID. IT WILL BE OFFICIALLY OPENED NEXT WEEK.

+THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY HAS FOR MANY YEARS BEEN EXPERIENCING AN ACUTE SHORTAGE OF CRAFTSMEN, RESULTING NOT ONLY IN INCREASING INEFFICIENCY WITH THE INDUSTRY BUT ALSO IN A RAPID INCREASE IN CONSTRUCTION COST.

+UNLIKE THE SKILLED WORKERS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES, MOST SKILLED WORKERS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ARE EMPLOYED ON A CASUAL SHORT TERM BAS IS AND ALMOST ALL WORK IS CARRIED OUT UNDER SPECIAL CONTRACT BY LOOSELY KNIT TEMPORARY GROUPS OF WORKS.

+UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES, THE PROVISION OF CRAFT APPRENTICE TRAINING BASED WHOLLY ON ON-THE-JOB TRAINING IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY HAS ALWAYS GIVEN RISE TO INSURMOUNTABLE PROBLEMS,+ HE POINTED OUT.

THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRE AT KWAI CHUNG, WHICH WILL INITIALLY BE ABLE TO TRA IN ABOUT 3,600 OPERATIVES EACH YEAR, WOULD BE OFFICIALLY OPENED IN OCTOBER, MR. TIEN SAID.

THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY IS ONE OF HONG KONG'S LARGEST MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY BOTH IN TERMS OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF EXPORT AND THE NUMBER OF WORKERS EMPLOYED. IT EMPLOY$ 180,000 WORKERS WHO TURNED OUT $14,000 MILLION CLOTHING ITEMS IN 1976 OR ABOUT 45 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE OF HONG KONG'S EXPORTS.

+BUT FOR SOME YEARS ITS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN HINDERED BY A SHORTAGE OF WORKERS AT THE OPERATIVE LEVEL, + MR. TIEN SAID.

+MANY MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO PROVIDE PROPER TRAINING, WHICH IS MAINLY ON THE JOB, FOR THE LARGE NUMBER OF OPERATIVES REQUIRED BECAUSE OF THE GENERAL SHORTAGE OF SPACE AND THE CONSEQUENTIAL DISRUPTION TO ACTUAL PRODUCTION.+

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