ENG-1969 — Page 144

EDUCATION

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management studies offers, mainly for girls, secretarial courses. The department of mechanical, production and marine engineering operates a productivity centre. Since its inception in 1961, 38 productivity courses have been offered to more than 562 managerial and supervisory staff from local factories, representing some 15 dif- ferent industries. Full-time courses at craftsman and pre-apprentice levels are also offered in the building, electrical and mechanical trades. Approval has been obtained for the college to conduct the alternative training scheme for marine engineers and recognition has been given to the course. The department of industrial and commercial design operates a full-time three-year Higher Diploma course in industrial design.

The eight departments also provide part-time day and evening courses. These lead to qualifications in a range of technical and commercial subjects at professional, technicians' and craftsmen's levels. A two-year part-time in-service course for training teachers of technical subjects, an 11-week part-time day-release course for workshop and trade instructors, and a plumbing and pipe-fitting part-time craft course, are also offered.

Whenever there is a need for courses on specific subjects of current interest to local industry or to a sufficient number of in- dividuals, the college operates short courses to meet the demand. During the year, a number of short courses of this nature in all departments were given.

The Morrison Hill Technical Institute, which is run by the Education Department, is expected to occupy its own premises at Morrison Hill on Hong Kong Island when the building is com- pleted early in 1970. In the meantime, several of its courses were started in September this year in the Technical College premises in Kowloon. The main function of the Technical Institute is to provide facilities for the training of pre-apprentices, craftsmen and lower-level technicians in the fields of construction, and mechanical and electrical engineering trades. There are also courses in business studies and technical teacher training. Courses are on a full-time day, part-time day and evening basis. The Technical Institute by specialising in lower-level courses will enable the facilities at the Technical College to be employed mainly for the training of tech- nologists and higher-level technicians.