XN000022-1988-04-19 — Page 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1988

IN THE FIELD OF MANPOWER TRAINING TO ASSIST IN THE UPGRADING OF HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIES, THE GOVERNMENT HAD ADOPTED CONTINUOUS MEASURES TO HAVE MORE TECHNICALLY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL TRAINED, HE SAID.

ALONGSIDE WITH THE TWO LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND TWO POLYTECHNICS WHICH ARE PRODUCING NEARLY 20,000 GRADUATES EVERY YEAR IN DISCIPLINES OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, A NEW UNIVERSITY FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WILL BE SET UP IN 1991.

THERE WAS ALSO A SCHEME TO ENABLE PRACTISING ENGINEERS TO GO ABROAD (INCLUDING JAPAN) TO OBTAIN TRAINING IN THE DESIGN AND USE OF APPLICATIONS SPECIFIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS IN AN ATTEMPT ΤΟ ACQUIRE RECENT TECHNOLOGIES WHICH WERE NOT YET TAUGHT IN OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, HE SAID.

"SIMILAR TRAINING SCHEMES MIGHT BE EXTENDED INTO SUCH OTHER PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES AS SURFACE MOUNTING, AND SUCH PRODUCT TECHNOLOGIES AS DIGITAL ELECTRONICS, COMMUNICATIONS, PATTERN

RECOGNITION AND NETWORKING,

է

HE ADDED.

MR LEUNG WENT ON TO SAY THAT ONE OF THE MAIN THRUSTS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S CURRENT INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES HAD BEEN ΤΟ PROVIDE THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR WITH AN ADEQUATE RANGE OF SUPPORT SERVICES.

FROM

"WE ARE EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THE JAPAN INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION AGENCY (JICA) TO SET UP A SHBET METAL PROCESSING TRAINING CENTRE.

++

"THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL NOW PROVIDES A FULL RANGE OF METALS CONSULTANCY SERVICES, HE SAID, ADDING THAT A PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE WOULD BE ESTABLISHED ON THE CAMPUS OF THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC THIS YEAR.

HE SAID THE INFLUENCE AND DEMANDS OF JAPANESE FIRMS IN HONG KONG ATTRIBUTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT IN HONG KONG'S LINKAGE INDUSTRIES.

"MANY OF THEM HAVE SHIFTED FROM A PURE ASSEMBLY OPERATION USING PARTS AND COMPONENTS PREVIOUSLY IMPORTED FROM JAPAN, TO A NEW FORM OF PRODUCTION, WHEREBY THESE PARTS AND COMPONENTS ARE EITHER MADE BY THEIR HONG KONG SUB-CONTRACTORS OR PRODUCED BY THEMSELVES IN HONG KONG HE SAID.

"

WITH REGARD TO INDUSTRIAL LAND, MR LEUNG SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD PROVIDED LAND IN TWO INDUSTRIAL ESTATES, EACH ABOUT

70 HECTARES, AT PRICES REFLECTING FORMATION COSTS ONLY, FOR QUALIFIED INDUSTRIAL USERS WHO BROUGHT NEW PROCESSES OR PRODUCTS TO HONG KONG; AND A THIRD ONE WAS BEING PLANNED AND WAS LIKELY TO BE AVAILABLE FOR OCCUPATION BY 1993.

/OTHER INFRASTRUCTURAL