XN000022-1997-01-18 — Page 4

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Record number of placements for people with a disability

The Labour Department's Selective Placement Division (SPD) successfully found 1,430 jobs for disabled job-seekers in 1996, breaking all previous records.

Senior Labour Officer (Selective Placement), Mr Siu Lap-kei, attributed the encouraging results partly to the changing attitude of the public, especially employers, towards the disabled.

"The Government's escalated efforts in promoting employment for people with a disability and integrating them into society is also essential in achieving the results," Mr Siu said today (Saturday).

He described 1996 as a fruitful year for the SPD. The seminar on Open Employment for People with a Disability held last October, for instance, attracted some 400 employers, human resource managers and members from the rehabilitation field to participate.

In addition, it was encouraging to see that about 12,000 visitors were recorded for the eight exhibitions organised by the SPD last year to promote employment of people with a disability.

"In order to further enhance public awareness of the working potentials of people with a disability, the SPD has jointly produced television and radio programmes with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)," Mr Siu said.

The 10-episode TV programme "Under the Same Sky Part 3" and the 10- episode radio programme "Outstanding Disabled Persons" have been broadcast since early December last year.

"Our division will continue to make every effort to help more people with a disability to enter the employment market," he added.

The SPD will set up a booth in the Education and Careers Expo' 97 to be held between February 20 and 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.