XN000022-1989-09-04 — Page 2

1

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4. 1989

INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRAINING SCHEME BEING ONSIDERED

THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW CONSIDERING THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW TRAINING SCHEME TO HELP TECHNOLOGISTS, TECHNICIANS AND TEACHERS то ACQUIRE. ABSORB AND ADAPT TO LOCAL USE THE TECHNOLOGIES THE PRIVATE SECTOR WANTS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR K.Y. YEUNG, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE CONFERENCE ON THE POPULARISATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISED JOINTLY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG AND THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE ORGANISATION.

MR YEUNG SAID THE NEW TRAINING SCHEME WAS LIKELY TO EMERGE AS LARGE, MORE FULL-BLOODED VERSION OF AN EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT LAUNCHED TWO YEARS AGO.

A

—

HE SAID IN A COMMUNITY SUCH AS HONG KONG WELL KNOWN FOR ITS RESILIENCE, SPEED OF ADAPTION TO CHANGE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

THERE NEVER WAS ANY ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY.

"WE SHARE WITH THE OTHER ASIAN NEWLY INDUSTRIALISED ECONOMIES NOT ONLY THE HONOUR BUT ALSO THE BURDEN OF BEING A SUCCESSFUL ECONOMY.

"IN ORDER TO SURVIVE WE HAVE TO TRADE SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND TO BE ABLE TO TRADE SUCCESSFULLY OUR ECONOMY MUST REMAIN HIGHLY COMPETITIVE.

"SO WE MUST THINK HARD AND OFTEN ABOUT THE DIRECTIONS IN WHICH DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY ARE MOVING, AND EXAMINE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR TRAINING SERVICES, MR YEUNG SAID.

14

WHILE DEMAND FOR MANUALLY SKILLED OPERATIVES WAS LIKELY ΤΟ REMAIN STABLE OR EVEN TO DECLINE AS MORE LABOUR-INTENSIVE OPERATIONS MOVE INTO SOUTH CHINA, DEMAND FOR TECHNICIANS, TECHNOLOGISTS AND THEIR SERVICE-SECTOR EQUIVALENTS WAS LIKELY TO RISE, HE POINTED OUT.

THESE SHIFTS WERE POINTING CLEARLY то THE CREATION OF MORE KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE, MORE TECHNOLOGY-BASED EMPLOYMENT, MR YEUNG ADDED.

HE POINTED OUT THAT GIVEN A DEMAND-LED VOCATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEM, IT WAS NOT SURPRISING THAT LITTLE IF ANYTHING WAS BEING DONE TO PROVIDE TRAINING FOR TECHNOLOGISTS AND TECHNICIANS IN THOSE GROUPS OF DISCIPLINES THAT WERE PERCEIVED ΤΟ BE CRITICAL ΤΟ THE COMPETITIVENESS OF OUR INDUSTRIES BUT WHICH WERE NOT YET EXTENSIVELY PRACTISED.

"THE SORT OF TECHNOLOGIES THAT I THINK WE MUST SEEK TO LEARN AND ADAPT TO LOCAL USE ARE THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH MECHANISATION, THE INTEGRATION OF AUTOMATED DESIGN AND PRODUCTION, THE NETWORKING OF COMPUTERISED SYSTEMS AND THE TECHNOLOGIES OF PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT, SUSTAINED QUALITY AND VALUE CREATION, HE SAID.

IT

/CONCERNING THE