TNAG-0992-FCO40-1211-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-service-in-Hong-Ko-1980 — Page 237

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11.6

New Ranks in Existing Grades

Inspector of Apprentices (11.18)

In our Report No. 2 we referred to a review of this grade being undertaken by the Administration to determine whether a senior rank was required. This review has now been completed.

The Apprenticeship Division was set up in the

Labour Department in 1976. From an initial establishment of 12 Inspectors of Apprentices, the number has now increased to 60.

These Inspectors are concerned with the provision of the Apprenticeship Ordinance. By visiting factories, workshops and other places of employment they assist in the training and deployment of apprentices. They also advise, investigate complaints and follow progress. The present commitment is 81,000 inspections a year covering 20,400 industrial establishments registered under the Apprenticeship Ordinance. When the Apprenticeship Division was first established it was decided that the Inspectors could initially be supervised by Industrial Training Officers who are mainly engaged in the work of the Hong Kong Training Council and who provide supporting services to its various boards. It was however anticipated from the beginning that as the Apprenticeship Division expanded a supervisory rank in the Inspector grade would be needed. We have been informed that the workload is now such that the creation of a supervisory rank becomes necessary and we recommend accordingly.

We also recommend that, with the introduction of this new rank, the pay scale of Inspector of Apprentices be adjusted to bring it into line with those of other comparable grades.

Existing

Proposed

Inspector of Apprentices

17 - 31

Inspector of Apprentices

17 27

Senior Inspector 28 - 36 of Apprentices

11.7 Laboratory Assistant (10.25)

In our Report No. 2, we expressed our preliminary view on the proposal of creating a technologist rank and considered that this should be further examined.

The results of the examination show that the duties and responsibilities undertaken by the Laboratory Assistants require three functional levels whereas there are only two functional ranks in the grade. We agree with the Government Chemist that the situation is undesirable in that such work