4.
3.9. It is suggested that the Assistant Director of Education responsible for secondary work together with two headmasters of the existing secondary technical schools should make a short visit to Britain to examine the work of the schools shown in Appendix 4 prior to finalising the new pattern of secondary technical work. Discussions should take place with Mr. Lucia and others of the A.E.B. during the visit regarding the status of the 'A' level subjects proposed in Appendix 3 in respect of British Universities. Subsequently discussions should take place with both the University and the Technical College prior to determining the subject groupings appropriate to the needs of Hong Kong.
Course Structure of Technical Education
4.1. The present structure suffers from two major defects both of which preclude the optimum development of the Country's manpower and make it difficult to meet industry's requirements. The first of these defects is that the system is examination orientated rather than being designed to meet industry's need and the second that there are few, if any, obvious routes of advancement from one level of training to another, except through a labyrinth of courses, thus restricting the full development of individual trainees. There is also an over-complicated system of technician training, the top end of which duplicates the University level, and where the emphasis overall seems to be on the diploma-type rather than the 'T'-type course. The present senior technician has little chance of attaining prestige as a technician if his training is concerned almost wholly with further training to the technologist or professional level. Again, smaller numbers of technicians are required of the more theoretical diploma-type than of the much more practically based 'T' type.
There
4.2. There is the further point in regard to the so-called technological work as to whether the growth of two separate qualifications at the professional level (and it might indeed be three), following the British pattern, is warranted for a country of four million people. is of course a need to increase the existing facilities at this level and undoubtedly, as is proposed later, the present Technical College can play a decisive part in training at this level. Moreover, there is room for experimentation with the courses for producing graduates; they do not have to be restricted to the present University pattern. It is considered more appropriate however for there to be one graduate qualification.
Proposed Structure
4.3. The proposed structure is shown in outline at Appendix 5. Looking first at the technical education proposals, operative training is restricted to trainees with a primary background and consists mainly of short or accelerated types of course, the majority of which should be industry-based. There might be a particular need for Government, through the Labour Department, to provide accelerated training in the construction trades at a vocational training centre for out-of-work youths, as a short term measure. The centre could otherwise be used for specialised localisation training within Government and for trade testing.
Trade Training
4.4. Trade training in the long term, it is proposed, should operate to the proposed apprenticeship ordinance following a one-year pre-apprenticeship course. Entry to this course should be from the Junior Secondary Course (a special two-year pre-technical course having the same structure could be operated in the interim period until the Junior Secondary proposals were approved), candidates being subjected to selection tests including aptitude and spatial perception types. The course itself would occupy 35 hours,
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