XN000022-1982-03-19 — Page 3

FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1982

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HE SAID THAT IN THE 11 MONTHS FROM APRIL 1981 TO FEBRUARY 1982, THE PWD WAS ONLY ABLE TO RECRUIT A TOTAL OF 70 LOCAL PROFESSIONAL AND ASSISTANT PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE PWD HAD TO RECRUIT 127 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS FROM OVERSEAS TO FILL THE BALANCE OF VACANCIES WHICH HAD RISEN.

+IN SPITE OF REPEATED LOCAL AND OVERSEAS RECRUITMENT DRIVES, OUT OF A TOTAL ENGINEERING ESTABLISHMENT OF 903 POSTS AT MARCH 1' THIS YEAR, 206 POSTS REMAINED UNFILLED, REPRESENTING AN ENGINEER ING MANPOWER SHORTFALL OF NEARLY 23 PER CENT OVERALL,+ MR MCDONALD SAID.

HE NOTED THAT THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND THE MAJOR UTILITY COMPANIES COMPETED WITH AN ACTIVE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS FROM THE RELATIVELY SMALL LOCAL COMMON POOL TO MEET THEIR INCREASING COMMITMENTS.

MR MCDONALD SAID THAT TRAINING PROVIDED THE WAY TO HELP REDRESS THE CHRONIC SHORTAGE OF ENGINEERS.

+MORE LOCAL TRAINING PLACES MUST BE PROVIDED IN SUFFICIENT NUMBERS BY BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO ACCOMMODATE THE INCREASING NUMBER OF ENGINEERING GRADUATES QUALIFYING FROM OUR LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND THE POLYTECHNIC, AND THE LARGE NUMBERS WHO RETURN TO HONG KONG ON COMPLETION OF STUDIES OVERSEAS. IN THIS WAY WE MAY BEGIN TO MEET THE LOCAL DEMAND, HE SAID.

THE TRAINING GIVEN, HE ADDED, MUST BE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY, PROPERLY STRUCTURED AND ADEQUATELY SUPERVISED. PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS WOULD SET THE STANDARDS, TEST THEM AND ENSURE THAT THEY WERE MAINTAINED.

MR MCDONALD SAID THAT OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE, INCLUDING SEVERAL DETAILED REPORTS ON ENGINEERING TRAINING, CONTAINED VALUABLE LESSONS FOR THE ENGINEERING INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG.

+PUT SIMPLY, THE MESSAGE IS THAT WE SHOULD GUARD AGAINST THE NARROW CONCEPT OF ENGINEERING BEING MERELY A BRANCH OF APPLIED SCIENCE, HE SAID.

+ INSTEAD WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIDER SKILLS AND OUTLOOK WHICH WILL ENSURE THAT OUR ENGINEERS ARE PROPERLY EQUIPPED TO TAKE ON, AT A LATER STAGE IN THEIR CAREERS, BROADER MANAGERIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES RATHER THAN BEING EMPLOYED SIMPLY AS PROVIDERS OF TECHNICAL SERVICES.

ON THE RE-ORGANISATION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT MR MCDONALD SAID THAT AS FROM APRIL 1, THE DEPARTMENT WOULD DISAPPEAR, AND BE REPLACED BY FIVE AUTONOMOUS DEPARTMENTS. ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT, WATER SUPPLIES, NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT, BUILDING DEVELOPMENT AND LANDS,

THE NEW GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT BRANCH, LANDS AND WORKS, WOULD CO-ORDINATE POLICY FOR THE FIVE DEPARTMENTS.

AS SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS, MR MCDONALD SAID, HE WOULD RETAIN A STRONG INTEREST IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PROFESSIONS INVOLVED IN THE BUILDING AND ENGINEERING FIELDS.

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