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g, welding, plastics, printing, textile and preci- sion tooling industries. The level of courses ranges from operative to technologist. Each year about 9 000 workers are trained in these centres.
To cater to the needs of the commercial and service sectors, the VTC has also set up the Insurance Training Centre, the Electronic Data Processing Training Centre and the Banking Training Centre. These centres pro- vide both basic as well as upgrading courses for em- ployees at all levels in their sectors.
The Seamen's Training Centre set up at Tai Lam Chung provides training to serving local seamen and new recruits to enable them to meet the mandatory standard required by the International Convention on Standard of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
The Management Development Centre of Hong Kong has been established to improve the quality and quantity of management in Hong Kong. To this end, the centre undertakes and co-ordinates management research to meet the changing needs of management in all sectors of Hong Kong industry and commerce, develops materials and organises programmes and other activi- ties to meet those needs. The centre also co-ordinates and promotes management development and training activities at all levels and for all sectors. The centre operates an information centre to offer support to management trainers and the business and academic communities.
To ensure that Hong Kong has an adequate supply of well trained engineers, the council operates a training scheme, the Engineering Graduate Training Scheme, to assist engineering graduates in obtaining the practical training they need to complete their train- ing as engineers and attain professional status. As an incentive to employers to participate in the scheme, the VTC currently subsidises the monthly salaries of the graduates. Employers taking part in the scheme are required to provide their engineering graduates with 18 months of supervised practical training to a standard acceptable for the corporate membership of the major professional engineering institutions. The VTC has set up a Technologist Training Unit which assists employers taking part in the scheme. The unit operates a placement service to help employers recruit graduates for training and also assist graduates in finding training opportunities. With effect from April 1985, the scheme has been extended to cover sand- wich course students receiving approved training in industry.
Apprenticeship Scheme: The Apprenticeship Ordinance, which came into force in 1976, requires a young person to enter into a contract of apprentice- ship if he is aged under 19 and engaged in a desig- nated trade.
The contract must be registered with the Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training. Con- tracts of apprentices engaged in non-designated trades may also be registered voluntarily with the
director. There are currently 42 designated trades ranging from mould and die maker/repairer, fitter, machinist, electrician, refrigeration/air-conditioning mechanic, clothing and textile machine mechanic, vehicle mechanic, construction plant mechanic, printing machine operator, furniture maker, gas utilisa- tion fitter, goldsmith or hotel cook (Western-style).
The Apprenticeship Section of the Technical Educa- tion and Industrial Training Department is responsible for administering the ordinance. Its duties include advising and assisting employers in the employment and training of apprentices, ensuring that training is properly carried out, helping to resolve disputes arising out of registered contracts, and co-operating with the technical institutes to ensure that apprentices receive the necessary complementary technical educa- tion. The number of new apprenticeship contracts registered in 1988 totalled about 4 930. Up to the end of 1988, over 21 500 young people have been awarded completion certificates of apprenticeship and become qualified technical personnel.
Course of instruction for apprentices, normally on a part-time day-release basis, are provided at either the technical institutes or the Hong Kong Polytechnic.
Vocational Training for the Disabled: The Tech- nical Education and Industrial Training Department operates two government skills centres and administers three subvented vocational training centres for disabled persons. These centres provide a total of about 750 full-time training places of which about 240 are in centres with residential facilities. There are plans to increase this figure to about 1 400 places by 1994 and 500 of these will be in centres with residential facilities.
A comprehensive range of courses are offered in the skills centres at the operative level in addition to bridging courses; the former type provides trainees with employable skills while the latter prepares them for integration into mainstream technical education. The International Labour Organisation training con- cept of Modules of Employable Skills is used in these training courses enabling trainees to progress at their own individual pace.
Every effort is made to place disabled persons into a suitable training course which matches their abilities, aspiration as well as job prospects. Each year a number of disabled persons enter directly into technical insti- tute courses. At present some 100 disabled students are on these courses and they are provided with special supportive services during their studies.
The department also provides additional supportive services through its Vocational Assessment Centre and Technical Aids and Resource Centre. The former evaluates a disabled person's aptitude, potential and abilities before developing an individual vocational training plan for him. The latter designs and produces work adaptations and technical aids with the aim of improving his job prospects and training achieve-
ments.
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