XN000022-1984-05-18 — Page 2

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 1984

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TECHNICAL EDUCATION TO MEET ECONOMIC GOALS

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THE NUMBER OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING PLACES WILL BE INCREASED FROM THE PRESENT 67 000 TO OVER 110 000 ON COMPLETION OF MORE FACILITIES BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

THESE ADDITIONAL FACILITIES ARE TWO VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTRE COMPLEXES, THREE NEW TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND THE CITY POLYTECHNIC.

IN THE CASE OF THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, IT WILL MEAN ALMOST DOUBLING THEIR PRESENT STUDENT ENROLMENT OF 40 000, + MR GRAHAM CHENG, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE SPEECH DAY OF THE HONG KONG TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE, MR CHENG SAID THAT HONG KONG NEEDED A LARGE NUMBER OF TECHNICALLY QUALIFIED YOUNG PEOPLE TO HELP FURTHER DIVERSIFY PRODUCTS AT COMPETITIVE PRICES.

HE SAID THAT WHILE CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN INDUSTRY WAS IMPORTANT, INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE WAS EVEN MORE SO.

+THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN HONG KONG WHERE THERE IS ALMOST A COMPLETE LACK OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND WHERE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON THE INGENUITY, KNOWLEDGE AND THE INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITIES OF ITS PEOPLE, MR CHENG SAID.

THE ROLE OF THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES IN HONG KONG WAS TO TRAIN SKILLED MANPOWER AT BASIC LEVELS.

TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, POSITIVE STEPS HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE VTC, SUCH AS THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW ACADEMIC AND MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE BRINGING INDUSTRIALISTS AND EDUCATORS FROM INTERESTED ORGANISATIONS CLOSER TOGETHER TO ASSIST IN PLANNING AND CO-ORDINATING THE OPERATION OF THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, MR CHENG SAID.

THE VTC HAD ALSO INVITED OVERSEAS EDUCATORS AND SUBJECT SPECIALISTS TO ADVISE ON THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF ITS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES, HE SAID.

MR CHENG ALSO SAID THAT THE INSTITUTES MUST BE ABLE TO REACT TO CHANGES THROUGH ADEQUATE CONTINGENCY PLANNING PROVIDED THAT THE IR SHORT-TERM EXPEDIENCY SHOULD NOT OVERRIDE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES.

+COURSES AND STUDY PROGRAMMES MUST BE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO PERMIT INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TRANSFERABILITY AND TO ENABLE WORKERS ALREADY IN EMPLOYMENT TO UPGRADE THEIR SKILLS AND TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR JOB ADVANCEMENT,

HE SAID.

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