XN000022-1977-10-27 — Page 11

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1977

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CALL TO MAKE TRAINING COUNCIL A STATUTORY BODY

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THE HON. S.L. CHEN HAS SUGGESTED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY THAT THE TRAINING COUNCIL BE GIVEN STATUTORY STATUS TO BECOME A PERMANENT BODY TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG HAS A BALANCED INDUSTRIAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION SYSTEM.

MR. CHEN POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS HUGE IMBALANCE AT PRESENT. +WHEREAS TECHNICAL EDUCATION IS CONDUCTED IN A FORMAL MANNER, WITH PRESCRIBED COURSE CURRICULUM AND UNDER EFFICIENT SUPERVISION, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IS IN THE MAIN CARRIED OUT PURELY ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS.+

HE SAID ALTHOUGH THE TRAINING COUNCIL THROUGH ITS VARIOUS TRAINING BOARDS HAD SUCCESSFULLY DRAWN UP STANDARDS AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR INDUSTRIES AT ALL LEVELS, WHETHER THEY WERE FOLLOWED WAS LEFT ENTIRELY TO INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYERS.

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THE POSITION OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FOR THE TECHNOLOGIST, ESPECIALLY IN ENGINEERING FIELDS, AND PROFESSIONAL GRADES WAS PARTICULARLY SERIOUS, MR. CHEN SAID, SO THAT MANY EMPLOYERS HAD TO IMPORT THIS LEVEL OF MANPOWER FROM ABROAD.

HE WARNED THAT UNLESS WE COULD CORRECT THIS IMBALANCE, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE SUFFICIENT MANPOWER OF THE QUALITY WE NEED, MORE SO WITH INDUSTRIAL DIVERSIFICATION.

HE SAID THERE WAS ALSO AN URGENT NEED TO CREATE A CENTRAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE BY POOLING THE RESOURCES OF EXISTING ORGANISATIONS, TO AVOID DUPLICATION AND PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR THOSE SEEKING INFORMATION.

WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD SUCCEED IN DIVERSIFICATION WOULD DEPEND ON HOW MUCH AND HOW BEST WE UTILISE MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND TRANSFER THEM FROM MANAGEMENT TO SHOP FLOOR, AND ONE OF THE HOST COST EFFECTIVE MEANS TO ENCOURAGE THIS WAS SUCH A SERVICE TO INDUSTRY, HE SAID.

INDUSTRIAL DIVERSIFICATION, MR. CHEN NOTED, SHOULD BE BOTH VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL-PROVIDING FOR GREATER VARIETY AND MORE SOPHISTICATION IN EXISTING INDUSTRIES AS WELL AS GENERATING NEW AND HIGHER TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES.

IT SHOULD AIM AT LONG-TERM STABILITY RATHER THAN SHORT-TERM SUCCESS. IT MIGHT INVOLVE LONGER-TERM PLANNING THAN HONG KONG HAD BEEN USED TO, AND HAD TO BE GEARED TO GENERATE A HIGHER ADDED VALUE PER UNIT OF INVESTMENT.

/MR. CHEN LISTED