XN000022-1994-05-12 — Page 11

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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994

GOVERNOR:

I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE

INEVITABLE

CHANGE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE COMMONWEALTH IN 1997, WON'T AFFECT THE ACADEMIC LINKS WHICH THIS COMMUNITY HAS WITH NOT JUST THE COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES, BUT WITH OTHER COUNTRIES AS WELL. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL. KNOW THAT THE UPGC CONTAINS A NUMBER OF DISTINGUISHED ACADEMICS FROM COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES BUT ALSO FROM ONE OR TWO NON-COMMONWEALTH, CERTAINLY ONE NON-COMMONWEALTH COUNTRY AS WELL. I THINK THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL ALSO KNOW, MUCH BETTER THAN ME.

THE EXTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL LINKS WHICH THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE HAS WHICH WILL SURVIVE AND PROSPER I'M SURE AFTER 1997. SO I HOPE THAT THERE CAN BE NO-QUESTION OF THE CHANGE OF SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997, AFFECTING OR DISRUPTING THE INTERNATIONAL LINKS THAT THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG HAS BEYOND OUR SHORES AND BEYOND OUR BOUNDARIES. IF THAT WERE TO BE THE CASE, WHICH I DON'T BELIEVE IT WILL, IT WOULD BE SAD AND DEBILITATING. SO, WE HAVE TO ENSURE THAT WE RETAIN AN EXTROVERT, OUTWARD LOOKING INTELLECTUAL COMMUNITY AND THAT

WAS, OF COURSE, ONE OF THE MAIN THEMES OF THE UPGC'S RECENT CONSULTATION DOCUMENT AND MISSION STATEMENT WHICH WANTS HONG KONG TO PURSUE AN EXTREMELY OUTWARD LOOKING ROLE.

MR LAU CHIN-SHEK (THROUGH INTERPRETER): WHETHER THE RETRAINING PROGRAMME CAN BE SUCCESSFUL, ONE OF THE VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS IS WHETHER THE EMPLOYERS ARE IN SUPPORT OF IT. MR GOVERNOR I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU THIS: THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER IN HONG KONG, SO AS THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER IN HONG KONG HAS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD. AND ALSO REGARDING THE RECRUITMENT OF CIVIL SERVANTS, HAVE YOU SET ASIDE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF VACANCIES TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE RETRAINING GRADUATES, SO AS TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE?

J

GOVERNOR: WE HAVEN'T I DON'T BELIEVE, GOT A SET PERCENTAGE FIGURE FOR RECRUITS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO TAKE WHO HAD, AS IT

WERE, GRADUATED

CAN

FROM THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD. I AM NOT SURE THAT THAT WOULD ALWAYS BE APPROPRIATE GIVEN WHAT MAY SOMETIMES BE A SKILLS MISMATCH BETWEEN THE SORT OF POST THAT GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING FOR AND THE SORT OF TRAINEES WHO ARE COMING OUT OF THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD. BUT I'LL CERTAINLY LOOK AT THE ISSUE AND SEE IF THERE IS MORE THAT WE DO. AS I SAID EARLIER I THINK THE FIGURE FOR WORK PLACEMENT OF THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVELY SEEKING WORK AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING SCHEMES IS PRETTY HIGH, AND WE ARE TRY ING ΤΟ FURTHER IMPROVE IT SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT MANY OF THE 12,500 SHORTLY TO BE 15,000 WHO HAVE BEEN RETRAINED, WHO AREN'T ACTUALLY ABLE TO FIND JOBS.

LAU CHIN-SHEK (THROUGH INTERPRETER) : MR GOVERNOR, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS BECAUSE EMPLOYERS ARE ACTUALLY FACING THE SAME PROBLEM CONCERNING THE RECRUITMENT OF CIVIL SERVANTS? IF YOU HAVE SYSTEMATIC DISCUSSIONS WITH THE EMPLOYEES RETRAINING BOARD OR HAVE SYSTEMATIC CO-OPERATION WITH THE BOARD, I'M SURE IT IS GOING TO GO A LONG WAY TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF RETRAINEES OF HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN FINDING JOB. SO CAN YOU CONSIDER THIS, CAN YOU CONSIDER CO-OPERATION WITH THE BOARD SO AS TO HELP THE RETRAINEES?

GOVERNOR: CERTAINLY, IF WE HAVEN'T HAD THE SORT OF DIALOGUE WHICH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER UNDERSTANDABLY REQUESTS I'LL ENSURE THAT THOSE DISCUSSIONS TAKE PLACE.

/MR TIK CHI-YUEN