XN000022-1981-03-27 — Page 8

FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1981

- 7

GOVERNMENT APPRENTICES RECEIVE CERTIFICATES

*****

LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, MR ALLEN LEE, TODAY CALLED ON THE GRADUATING GOVERNMENT APPRENTICES TO CONTINUE THE IR QUEST FOR SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE EVEN AFTER TRAINING.

THE CALL WAS MADE AT THE GRADUATION CEREMONY HELD AT MORRISON HILL TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

+YOU SHOULD NOT IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR FINAL GOAL AND BE CONTENT AT YOUR PRESENT LEVEL OF SKILL AND KNOWLEDGE,+ MR LEE SAID.

+AS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOP, DESIGNS OF ENGINEER ING PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT ARE MORE AND MORE SOPHISTICATED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY.

+TO SUPPLEMENT THE TECHNOLOGISTS' EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE THESE, YOU GRADUATING APPRENTICES SHOULD DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS FURTHER AND KEEP YOURSELVES UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE.+

AT TODAY'S GRADUATION CEREMONY, MR LEE PRESENTED CERTIFICATES TO 23 TECHNICAL AND 50 CRAFT APPRENTICES.

HE SAID THE OCCASION MARKED YET ANOTHER YEAR OF EFFORT BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY, THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE FORCE IN PROVIDING TRAINED TECHNICIANS AND CRAFTSMEN FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND THE INDUSTRY.

HE RECALLED THAT THE PWD AND THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY'S FORMAL INDENTURED TRADE APPRENTICE TRAINING WAS STARTED IN MID-1950'S.

+THIS WAS RE-STRUCTURED IN 1969 TO INCLUDE TWO STREAMS TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR CRAFTSMEN AND TECHNICIANS. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME 750 APPRENTICES GRADUATED UNDER THIS NEW SCHEME- MANY OF THEM ARE NOW HOLDING JOBS AS WORKS SUPERVISORS, INSPECTORS, OR ENGINEERS IN GOVERNMENT SERVICE AND SIMILAR POSITIONS IN THE PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, HE SAID.

AT PRESENT, SOME 468 CRAFT AND 164 TECHNICAL APPRENTICES ARE SERVING THEIR APPRENTICESHIP IN GOVERNMENT.

MR LEE, WHO IS CHAIRMAN OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMITTEE OF THE HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WAS GLAD TO NOTE THAT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ARE MAKING A GREAT EFFORT IN THE PROVISION OF SKILLED MANPOWER WHICH IS SO NEEDED IN HONG KONG.

AT THE CEREMONY, MR LEE ALSO PRESENTED THE +BROWN+ CUP TO THE BEST TECHNICAL APPRENTICE, MR WONG KAI-MING, OF THE WATER SUPPLIES DEPARTMENT. THE +LAISHLEY CUP FOR THE BEST CRAFT APPRENTICE WAS PRESENTED TO MR YAU KWOK-KEUNG OF THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL OFFICE, PWD.

18