XN000022-1984-03-16 — Page 5

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1984

MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID THE APPRENTICES HAD A REMARKABLE FOUNDATION ON WHICH TO BUILD PREVIOUS GENERATIONS HAD BY THEIR INGENUITY AND INITIATIVE TURNED HONG KONG INTO THE BUSTLING, THRIVING AND DYNAMIC PLACE IT HAD BECOME.

HE URGED THEM NOT TO SELL THEMSELVES SHORT, AS THEY HAD AN IMPORTANT PART IN SHAPING THE DESTINY OF HONG KONG IN THE FUTURE.

+1 AM CONFIDENT THAT YOU WILL STRIVE TO MAINTAIN THE FINE EXAMPLE SET BY YOUR PREDECESSORS, AND BY YOUR HARD WORK AND INITIATIVE MAKE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE CONTINUING SUCCESS SSTORY OF HONG KONG AS WE HEAD FOR THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID.

HE PRESENTED CERTIFICATES TO THE GRADUATING APPRENTICES AND THE BROWN CUP TO THE BEST TECHNICIAN APPRENTICES, MR CHAN SUI-KEUNG, OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY CORPORATION, AND MR WONG STU-FAI, OF THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, AND THE LAISHLEY CUP TO THE TOP CRAFT APPRENTICE, MR WONG SHU-KEUNG, OF THE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

THE HOWES PLAQUE WAS PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME TO THE BEST FIRST-YEAR APPRENTICE OF THE TRAINING COURSE,

MR CHAN KAI-CHOR.

ABOUT 1 250 TECHNICIAN AND CRAFT APPRENTICES HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE GOVERNMENT APPRENTICES TRAINING SCHEME SINCE IT WAS INAUGURATED IN SEPTEMBER, 1969.

APPRENTICES RECEIVE FOUR YEARS THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING AS CRAFTSMEN OR TECHNICIANS IN THE ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRONIC FIELDS.

TECHNICIAN APPRENTICES EARN FROM $1 490 TO $1 980 PER MONTH, WHILE CRAFT APPRENTICES GET $1 100 TO $1 490.

TECHNICAN APPRENTICES ATTEND A SIX-MONTH BASIC TRAINING COURSE AFTER WHICH THEY ARE DEPLOYED TO VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND WORKSHOPS TO GAIN PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.

CRAFT APPRENTICES UNDERGO A SIX-MONTH FULL-TIME COURSE AT TECHNICAL INSTITUTES BEFORE THEIR BASIC TRAINING. ON COMPLETING THIS, THEY ALSO WORK IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS OR WORKSHOPS,

ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT ALL APPRENTICES WHO COMPLETE TRAINING WILL BE EMPLOYED BY THE GOVERNMENT, ARTISAN AND WORKS SUPERVISOR POSTS ARE MOSTLY FILLED BY THESE YOUNG PEOPLE.

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