XN000022-1979-05-26 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1979

3,954 APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS REGISTERED IN 1978

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THE APPRENTICESHIP DIVISION OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT REGISTERED 3,954 APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS LAST YEAR, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

THE FIGURE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 1,780 CONTRACTS OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND 2,452 MORE CONTRACTS THAN THOSE IN 1976 WHEN THE APPRENTICESHIP ORDIÑANGE WAS FIRST ENACTED TO PROMOTE APPRENTICE TRAINING.

OF THESE CONTRACTS, 3,500 WERE IN DESIGNATED TRADES AND 454 IN NON-DESIGNATED TRADES. OF THE 3,954 APPRENTICES, 3,738 WERE ENGAGED IN CRAFT-MAKING AND 216 WERE TECHNICIAN APPRENTICES.

LAST YEAR, THE APPRENTICESHIP INSPECTORATE CARRIED OUT A SERIES OF ROUTINE INSPECTIONS OF EMPLOYERS OF ALL REGISTERED APPRENTICES TO ENSURE THAT ADEQUATE TRAINING WAS PROVIDED.

+WHERE NECESSARY, THE INSPECTORS ALSO ASSISTED IN THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMMES,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

INSPECTIONS WERE ALSO CONDUCTED TO CHECK WHETHER YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED IN DESIGNATED TRADES WERE WITHOUT VALID CONTRACTS OF APPRENTICESHIP, HE ADDED.

TWO OFFICES WERE SET UP IN TSIM SHA TSUI AND KWAI CHUNG LAST YEAR AS PART OF A CONTINUING EFFORT TO PROVIDE A BETTER SERVICE. ANOTHER OFFICE AT KWUN TONG CAME INTO OPERATION THIS MARCH BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF OFFICES TO FIVE.

+THIS IS TO CATER FOR EMPLOYERS AND APPRENTICES IN NEIGHBOUR I NG INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, HE SAID.

MEANWHILE, THE TRAINING COUNCIL DIVISION ALSO ASSISTED SOME 210 ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE MAJOR INDUSTRIES TO EITHER START OR RE-ORGANISE TRAINING SCHEME ALONG THE LINES OF AN APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME PROPOSED BY THE DIVISION.

THE SCHEME INCLUDES BOTH PRACTICAL ON-THE-JOB TRAINING AND COMPLEMENTARY RELATED TECHNICAL EDUCATION ON A DAY-RELEASE BASIS.

DURING 1978, 280 TECHNICIANS AND 1,600 CRAFT APPRENTICES WERE PLACE IN THIS SCHEME IN 396 ESTABLISHMENTS IN BOTH DESIGNATED AND NON-DESIGNATED TRADES.

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