XN000022-1985-07-13 — Page 8

SATURDAY, JULY 13, 1985

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THE CAS CADET CORPS WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1968 TO TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12 AND 18 TO BECOME GOOD CITIZENS BY DEVELOPING THEIR PERSONALITIES, PERSONAL TALENTS, PHYSICAL FITNESS, INITIATIVE AND A SENSE OF CO-OPERATION THROUGH A WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES,

IT NOW HAS 24 UNITS ESTABLISHED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY, WITH OVER 2 600 MEMBERS.

THE OLD CAS CENTRE AT MA TAU WAI, HAS BEEN HANDED BACK TO THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.

YOUTHS URGED TO TAKE UP TECHNICAL COURSES *****

SECONDARY SCHOOL-LEAVERS ARE URGED TO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME WELL- TRAINED TECHNICAL PERSONNEL

+ IN FUTURE HONG KONG WILL NEED A HIGHLY-TRAINED AND EDUCATED WORK FORCE AT ALL LEVELS TO MAINTAIN ITS COMPETITIVENESS IN A PERIOD OF UNPRECEDENTED AND RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE,+ SAID MR HORACE KNIGHT, ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL, AT THE SPEECH DAY OF THE CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE COLLEGE THIS (SATURDAY) AFTERNOON.

+ONLY THE ALERT AND WELL-TRAINED WILL BE ABLE TO KEEP ABREAST OF AND GRASP THE OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY NEW DEVELOPMENTS,+ HE ADDED.

WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL IN 1982, PROVISION OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING HAS BEEN EXPANDING DRASTICALLY TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL MANPOWER NEEDS.

WHEN IN FULL OPERATION, THE COUNCIL'S EXISTING FIVE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, TOGETHER WITH THREE NEW INSTITUTES SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS WILL PROVIDE 65 000 FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME PLACES IN DISCIPLINES WHICH ARE RELEVANT TO THE NEEDS OF THE ECONOMY.

OFF-THE-JOB INDUSTRIAL TRAINING IN BASIC SKILLS AT ALL LEVELS ARE ALSO OFFERED AT THE KOWLOON BAY TRAINING CENTRE COMPLEX. ANOTHER COMPLEX AT KWAI CHUNG WILL BECOME OPERATIONAL THIS SEPTEMBER,

THE TWO COMPLEXES WOULD PROVIDE 9 000 TRAINING PLACES PER YEAR FOR ALMOST ALL THE MAJOR SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY, MR KNIGHT SAID.

HE ALSO STRONGLY ADVISED YOUNG PEOPLE TO CONSIDER JOINING THE APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME, WHICH COMBINES EMPLOYMENT IN A TRAINING CAPACITY AND RELATED TECHNICAL EDUCATION, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO FULL-TIME EDUCATION.

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