XN000022-1989-02-24 — Page 17

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1989

"CANDIDATES WHO PASS THE TEST - COMPRISING A SHORT PAPER ON THEORY OR TRADE KNOWLEDGE, AND A PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENT OF SEVERAL HOURS' WORK WILL BE AWARDED A TRADE TEST CERTIFICATE, HE SAID.

"

"THE ISSUE OF A CERTIFICATE IS AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE

COMPETENCE OF THE CANDIDATE IN HIS RESPECTIVE TRADE. THE TEST IS ALSO A MEASUREMENT OF THE STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH ANY FORMAL TRAINING IN THEIR CAREERS.

AS THE PIONEER OF ORGANISED APPRENTICE TRAINING IN HONG KONG, MR KNIGHT POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS IN 1976 THAT HONG KONG ENACTED THE APPRENTICESHIP ORDINANCE UNDER WHICH APPRENTICE TRAINING IN MANY PRINCIPAL TRADES IS REGULATED IN INDUSTRY.

IN OTHER WORDS MANY CRAFTSMEN IN THEIR LATE TWENTIES OR OLDER GIVEN WOULD NOT HAVE EITHER UNDERGONE ANY RECOGNISED TRAINING OR BEEN ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION DUE TO THEM.

THE COUNCIL, WITH THE SUPPORT OF ITS TRAINING BOARDS, BELIEVES A TRADE TESTING AND CERTIFICATION SYSTEM WILL FACILITATE SKILLED WORKERS IN THE ACQUISITION OF RECOGNISED QUALIFICATIONS WHICH IN WILL ENHANCE THEIR STATUS AS QUALIFIED TECHNICAL PERSONNEL.

TURN

SUCH

HELP

"APART FROM SETTING A STANDARD OF SKILLS FOR EACH TRADE,

LATER A SYSTEM, WHEN FURTHER DEVELOPED AT A

STAGE, WILL ALSO ESTABLISH A SKILLS HIERARCHY OF CRAFTSMAN AND MASTER CRAFTSMAN SIMILAR TO THAT WHICH EXISTS IN WESTERN INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES.

L

"

SUCH A HIERARCHY WILL PROVIDE A CAREER LADDER FOR SKILLED WORKERS, MR KNIGHT SAID.

INDUSTRY WILL ALSO BENEFIT FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF TRADE TEST. THE CERTIFICATE OF COMPETENCE AWARDED AS A RESULT OF THE TEST PROVIDES EMPLOYERS WITH A YARDSTICK WHICH THEY CAN USE WHEN SELECTING CRAFTSMEN.

TO MAINTAIN SAFETY STANDARDS AND TO ENSURE A HIGH QUALITY OF

BEEN SERVICE IN SOME TRADES, HONG KONG HAS

FORMULATING A FRAMEWORK REGISTRATION OF

WORKERS, SKILLED

FOR THE ELECTRICIANS, MR KNIGHT SAID.

LICENSING AND

SUCH AS

CAN BE

SUBJECT TO THE AGREEMENT OF THE LICENSING OR REGISTRATION

COUNCIL AUTHORITIES, A TRADE TEST CERTIFICATE AWARDED BY THE RECOGNISED AS AN ACCEPTABLE QUALIFICATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF LICENSING OR REGISTRATION.

IN THE MEANTIME, A TRADE TEST REGISTRY PROCESS APPLICATIONS FOR TAKING THE TEST.

HAS BEEN SET UP

TO

THE ORGANISERS OF THE TESTS INCLUDE THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD, ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD, MACHINE SHOP AND METAL WORKING INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD AND PRINTING INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD.

/THEY WILL