TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 227

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The wider issue of industrial training and related

technical education is being influenced by the recommendations of

the Advisory Committee on Diversification (ACD), which was appointed

by the Governor to advise how the process of diversification of

the economy, with particular reference to the manufacturing sector,

could be facilitated. On the difficult question of financing

additional training schemes the Hong Kong Training Council (HKTC)

(which advises on the measures necessary to ensure a comprehensive

system of manpower training geared to meet the developing needs of

Hong Kong's economy) advocated a general levy on exports or on

imports and exports. The ACD on the other hand recommended in

its report that this should be a charge on general revenue. It has

now been agreed by the Governor in Council that the government should

accept this commitment as a charge on general revenue, with certain

provisos (the most important being that the government subvention

should be in the form of a block grant to the HKTC or to a new

Training Authority, which would assume a role similar to that of

the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee (q.v.), so as to

achieve maximum flexibility furthermore, commitments would be

accepted by the government to permit forward planning). Legislation

to achieve this is to be introduced during 1980-81.

2.58 Technical institutes

There are now five technical

institutes in operation and a sixth is scheduled for completion in

1984-85. All are under the administrative control of the Education

Department. Courses are provided on a full-time, block-release,

part-time day-release and evening basis. Each institute has five

teaching departments. Subjects such as electrical engineering,

in which there is a heavy demand for skilled manpower, are offered