XN000022-1985-04-30 — Page 12

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TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1985

NEED SEEN FOR 'NEW BREED' IN ELECTRONICS

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A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BREED OF TECHNICAL MANPOWER WAS NEEDED TO KEEP UP WITH THE GROWING SOPHISTICATION AND AUTOMATION IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL, MR ANDREW CHUANG SAID TODAY.

THERE WAS A PARTICULAR NEED FOR TECHNOLOGISTS WITH STRONG ACADEMIC BACKGROUNDS AND SOUND PRACTICAL TRAINING, HE SAID.

REFERRING TO A JUST PUBLISHED REPORT ON A SURVEY OF THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY CARRIED OUT BY THE BOARD, HE SAID THAT THERE WERE 8 000 VACANCIES IN JUNE LAST YEAR IN THE INDUSTRY, WHICH HAD A WORK FORCE OF 107 000.

THE WORK FORCE WAS MADE UP OF ABOUT FOUR PER CENT TECHNOLOGISTS, 12 PER CENT TECHNICIANS, NINE PER CENT CRAFTSMEN, 73 PER CENT OPERATIVES AND TWO PER CENT UNSKILLED PERSONS.

A COMPARISON OF SKILL LEVELS IN THE WORK FORCE IN THE THREE SURVEYS UP TO LAST YEAR SHOWED HIGHER PERCENTAGE GROWTHS IN THE NUMBER OF TECHNOLOGISTS, RISING FROM 2.3 PER CENT OF THE 92 500 WORK FORCE IN 1980, TO 3.5 PER CENT OF THE 103 000 WORK FORCE IN 1982 TO NEARLY FOUR PER CENT OF THE 1984 WORK FORCE.

OPERATIVES, MADE UP LARGELY OF WOMEN, WERE BY FAR THE LARGEST NUMBER, RANGING FROM ABOUT 72 PER CENT TO 75 PER CENT OF ALL WORKERS IN THE THREE SURVEY PERIODS.

A FORECAST, BASED ON THE SURVEY INDICATES THAT FOR EACH OF THE COMING SIX YEARS, THE INDUSTRY WILL NEED ADDITIONALLY, AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST 500 TECHNOLOGISTS, 750 TECHNICIANS, 400 CRAFTSMEN AND 4 200 OPERATIVES, THIS FORECAST TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE LATEST VACANCIES, AS WELL AS SUCH OTHER FACTORS AS DIVERS IF ICATION, THE DEMAND FOR COMPUTER AND COMPUTER RELATED SERVICES, AND EMPLOYERS' FORECASTS.

MR CHUANG URGED EMPLOYERS TO FORMULATE PLANS FOR THE TRAINING AND RE-TRAINING OF SUFFICIENT MANPOWER TO OPERATE AND MAINTAIN MODERN PLANT AND MACHINERY SO THAT THE INDUSTRY COULD UPGRADE

ITS PRODUCTS AND COMPETE IN THE WORLD MARKET.

AT THE TIME OF SURVEY. THERE WERE SOME 1 200 TRAINEES AND APPRENTICES IN THE INDUSTRY, A FIGURE CONSIDERED INSUFFICIENT TO MEET THE INDUSTRY'S NEED FOR SKILLED MANPOWER.

THE 1984 MANPOWER SURVEY REPORT ON THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AT $15.50 A COPY.

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