ENG-1982 — Page 109

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EDUCATION

automobile repairs and servicing; banking; building and civil engineering; clothing; electrical; electronics; hotels, catering and tourism; insurance; jewellery; journalism; machine shop and metal working; merchant navy; plastics; printing; shipbuilding and ship repairs; textiles; transport and physical distribution; and wholesale, retail, import and export trades. The six general committees deal with apprenticeship and trade testing; training in electronic data processing; management and supervisory training; technical education; technologist training; and translation.

The training boards determine manpower needs and recommend measures to meet such needs, prescribe job specifications, and design training programmes and trade test guidelines. They also perform functions delegated by the council, such as operating and maintaining training centres. The general committees are responsible for specific training areas common to all or several sectors of the economy. Training boards and general committees are serviced by Technical Education and Industrial Training Department staff. During the year, eight manpower surveys were conducted in the following sectors: accountancy; automobile repairs and servicing; banking; electronics; machine shop and metal working; shipbuilding and ship repairs; printing; and wholesale, retail, import and export trades. Two special surveys were also carried out on management and supervisory training and on technical education. During the same period, the training boards prepared or revised manuals of job specifications, training programmes and trade test guidelines, and a glossary of common commerce and services term is being finalised. Many of the survey reports and manuals are on sale at the Government Publications Centre.

Industrial Training

The government accepted the former Hong Kong Training Council's recommendations to establish eight training centres to provide basic off-the-job training for the following sectors: automobile repairs and servicing; electrical; electronics; hotels; machine shop and metal working (including welding); plastics; printing; and textiles. It also approved a practical training scheme for engineering graduates to help them meet the training requirements of their professional institutions. Two sites, at Kowloon Bay and Kwai Chung, have been ear-marked for building two complexes to house the eight training centres.

Technical Education

The five technical institutes provide an increasing range of courses at craft and technician levels on a full-time, block-release, part-time day-release or evening basis. The main disciplines include construction, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, marine and fabrication, textiles and clothing, commercial studies, industrial technology, design, printing, hotel-keeping and tourism, as well as general studies. New short courses in computing and low pressure gas domestic appliance installation were also offered to meet the urgent needs of industry and commerce. Most of the technician level courses were validated by the Technician Education Council (TEC) in Britain. TEC qualifications are recognised for qualifying or exemption purposes by many professional and technician bodies in the United Kingdom. A computer centre, opened at the Lee Wai Lee Technical Institute, with terminals linking all five institutes, enables the study of computer applications to be included in most technician and commercial courses.

The demand for technical institute courses remained high. During the first term of the 1982-3 academic year, there were about 3 700 full-time, 10 600 block-release and part-time day release, and 20 800 part-time evening students. In September, the teaching establish- ment of the technical institutes was about 450 plus about 350 support staff. The annual