XN000022-1982-07-08 — Page 4

THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1982

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VOCATIONAL TRAINING KEY TO OUR CONTINUED ECONOMIC GROWTH

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THE NUMBER OF PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE (PTDR) STUDENTS IN HONG KONG TECHNICAL INSTITUTES HAS INCREASED BY 15 TIMES OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, AN ACHIEVEMENT WHICH POINTS TO THE CONTINUOUS EFFORT BEING MADE TO TRAIN SKILLED MANPOWER NEEDED FOR INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC GROWTH,

THE SETTING UP OF THE FIRST TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, WHICH PROVIDED TECHNICAL COURSES FOR SOME 8 800 STUDENTS IN 1970-71, MARKED THE BEGINNING OF A CO-ORDINATED APPROACH AND LARGE-SCALE EXPANSION OF VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION TRAINING FACILITIES SUPPORTED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

BEFORE THAT, TECHNICAL COURSES ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE WERE AVAILABLE AT ONE TECHNICAL COLLEGE WHICH WAS SUPERSEDED

IN 1972 BY THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC,

ARISING FROM RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FORMER INDUSTRIAL TRAINING ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND MORE RECENTLY OF THE HONG KONG TRAINING COUNCIL, TECHNICAL EDUCATION FACILITIES HAVE NOW EXPANDED TO FIVE INSTITUTES FROM WHICH 6 600 STUDENTS GRADUATED IN THE 1980/81 ACADEMIC SESSION.

THE INSTITUTES GENERALLY CONFINE THEMSELVES TO CRAFT AND LOWER TECHNICIAN COURSES WHILE THE POLYTECHNIC, THOUGH CONTINUING TO OFFER COURSES AT LOWER TECHNICIAN LEVELS, WILL REDUCE ITS EFFORT AT THESE LEVELS.

THE POLYTECHNIC IS, MEANWHILE, EXPANDING ITS WORK AT THE HIGHER DIPLOMA AND DEGREE LEVELS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE 1978 WHITE PAPER ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, IT IS IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING SOME 4 500 PLACES TO THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.

THIS YEAR'S TECHNICAL INSTITUTE STUDENT ENROLMENT INCLUDED ABOUT 10 420 PTDR STUDENTS, AGAINST THE 600 STUDENTS OF TEN YEARS EARLIER.

THE EMPHASIS ON THE EXPANSION OF PTDR COURSES, EVEN OCCASIONALLY AT THE SACRIFICE OF SOME FULL-TIME PLACES, IS THE OUTCOME OF THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL EDUCATION ON THE MOST EFFECTIVE BASIS, THAT IS, TO APPRENTICES WHO ARE RECEIVING COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICAL TRAINING IN INDUSTRY IN THE SAME FIELD AND AT THE SAME TIME.

THIS COMBINATION WOULD RESULT IN TECHNICAL MANPOWER WHICH IS NOT ONLY COMPETENT IN PRACTICAL SKILLS BUT ALSO WELL-VERSED IN RELATED THEORY - THE SORT OF MANPOWER INDUSTRY WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO UPGRADE ITSELF.

EACH OF THE FIVE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES CAN ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 1 500 FULL-TIME STUDENTS OR THE EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF FULL-TIME, PTOR AND EVENING STUDENTS. THE COURSES ARE OFFERED AT CRAFT LEVEL FOR POST FORM 111 STUDENTS AND AT TECHNICIAN LEVEL FOR POST FORM V STUDENTS.

COMPR 1.

"HE 1-81-2 ACADEMIC YEAR, THE 17 450 CRAFT STUDENTS

OF THE 10 2 370 ?

: 1:0 FULL-TIME, 8 050 PTER AND 8 180 EVENING STUDENTS. 130

20 TECHNICIAN STUDENTS, 310 WERE ON FULL-TIME,

8 500 ON EVENING COURSES.

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