XN000022-1985-01-30 — Page 14

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1935

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+OPEN LEARNING+ SPREADING WORLD WIDE

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+OPEN LEARNING+ WAS RAPIDLY EXPANDING ROUND THE WORLD, MR STUART DALZIEL, A VISITING EXPERT IN THIS FIELD, TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY.

THIS ENABLED PEOPLE TO LEARN WHAT THEY NEEDED, AT A TIME AND PLACE, AND IN A FORM WHICH SUITED THEM BEST, HE EXPLAINED.

FORMERLY DIRECTOR OF THE MANPOWER SERVICES COMMISSION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, HE HAS BEEN INVITED BY THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL TO ADVISE ITS MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT CENTRE - - MDC -- ON THE PROMOTION OF NEW MANAGEMENT TEACHING PROGRAMMES. HE HAD BEEN IN HONG KONG TWICE BEFORE, TO HELP THE MDC IDENTIFY THE NEED FOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES BY OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN HONG KONG.

IN BRITAIN, HE SAID, THERE WAS A BIG DEMAND FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMMES GEARED TO THE TRAINING OF TECHNICAL AND SUPERVISORY SKILLS,

SPEAKING ABOUT THE OPEN TECH PROGRAMME+ LAUNCHED BY THE MANPOWER SERVICES COMMISSION'S OLD TECH UNIT, IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, HE SAID THAT IT WAS EXPECTED TO ATTRACT MORE THAN 100 000 WORKING ADULTS IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.

HE HAD COME TO FIND OUT THE REAL NEEDS IN HONG KONG+, AND STRONGLY BELIEVED THAT OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING WOULD PRESENT BOTH A CHALLENGE AND A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO MANAGEMENT TRAINING HERE, HE SAID.

ALSO SPEAKING, THE DIRECTOR OF THE MDC, DR ROBERT TRICKER, SAID THAT LESS THAN EIGHT PER CENT OF THE 200 000 MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS FROM HONG KONG'S MAJOR ECONOMIC SECTORS RECEIVE MANAGEMENT TRAINING OF ANY KIND.

+THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO STEP UP MANAGEMENT TRAINING TO ENSURE THE HONG KONG ECONOMY IS PROVIDED WITH EFFECTIVE AND ADAPTABLE MANAGEMENT AT EVERY LEVEL, DR TRICKER SAID.

+THE COUNCIL IS LOOKING FORWARD TO A REPORT BY MR DALZIEL A FEW MONTHS LATER ON HOW OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING CAN BE PROMOTED TO CATER FOR THE NEED OF HONG KONG.

LATER IN THE DAY, MR DALZIEL ALSO CONDUCTED A WORKSHOP ON MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT BY OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING FOR 100 MANAGEMENT TEACHERS, TRAINERS AND EXECUTIVES CONCERNED WITH EDUCATIONAL POLICY IN THIS FIELD.