XN000022-1994-05-11 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1994

EMPLOYERS ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE

PAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

THE

ADMINISTRATION BELIEVES THAT PERSUASION AND

ENCOURAGEMENT

WOULD BE BETTER THAN INTERVENTION BY LEGISLATION IN PROMOTING FAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL.

THIS

WAS STATED TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR MICHAEL LEUNG, IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TAM FIU-CHUNG.

MR LEUNG SAID STAFF OF THE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD, AS A MATTER OF PRACTICE, ADVISE EMPLOYERS TO RELAX AGE REQUIREMENT IN THEIR RECRUITMENT.

"THIS MESSAGE IS CONVEYED TO EMPLOYERS WHENEVER PROMOTIONAL VISITS ARE MADE TO ESTABLISHMENTS OR WHEN EMPLOYERS REGISTER THEIR JOB VACANCIES WITH THE DEPARTMENT," HE SAID.

MR LEUNG SAID AS FOR RETRAINEES UNDER THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING SCHEME, THE BEST PREPARATION FOR THEM WAS TO IMPROVE THEIR COMPETITIVE EDGE, SUCH AS THROUGH TRAINING IN SOCIAL, LANGUAGE AND PRACTICAL SKILLS.

"EMPLOYERS ARE CLOSELY INVOLVED IN DESIGNING

AND MONITORING SUCH PROGRAMMES TO ENSURE THAT THE RETRAINEES POSSESS SKILLS THAT MEET MARKET NEEDS," HE SAID.

HE SAID THE RESPONSE FROM EMPLOYERS TO A RECENTLY INTRODUCED SPECIAL RETRAINING PROGRAMME FOR RETRAINERS AGED 50 OR OVER HAD BEEN MOST ENCOURAGING.

"FURTHER RETRAINING PROGRAMMES FOR THIS AGE GROUP WILL BE DESIGNED AND LAUNCHED IN THE NEAR FUTURE, HE ADDED.

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TO ENCOURAGE EMPLOYERS PARTICIPATING IN THE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING SCHEME TO TAKE ON OLDER JOB APPLICANTS, MR LEUNG SAID

THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD HAD RECENTLY REVISED THE CRITERIA FOR REIMBURSING TRAINING EXPENSES SO THAT EMPLOYERS COULD CLAIM REIMBURSEMENT ONLY FOR EMPLOYING RETRAINEES AGED 40 OR ABOVE.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING FOR CHILDREN INCREASING

THE

NUMBER OF SCHOOL CHILDREN RECEIVING PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING OR ASSESSMENT PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN RECENT YEARS HAD INCREASED, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR LEUNG, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON HUANG MR LEUNG GAVE THE FOLLOWING FIGURES FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS:

MICHAEL

CHEN-YA,

/SCHOOL YEAR