ENG-1983 — Page 121

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EDUCATION

non-designated trades or of apprentices aged over 18 engaged in designated trades may also be registered voluntarily with the director. By the end of 1983, 38 trades were specified as designated trades under the ordinance.

The Apprenticeship Section of the Technical Education and Industrial Training Depart- ment is responsible for administering the ordinance. Its duties include advising and assisting employers in the training and employment of apprentices, ensuring that the training is properly carried out, helping to resolve disputes arising out of registered contracts, and co-operating with educational institutes to ensure that apprentices receive the necessary complementary technical education. Courses of instruction for apprentices, normally on a part-time day-release basis, are provided at the Hong Kong Polytechnic and the technical institutes.

Apprenticeship contracts registered in 1983 totalled 3 200, of which 480 were for non-designated trades. These contracts covered 2 800 craft apprentices and 400 technician apprentices. By the end of the year, 9 200 apprentices were being trained in accordance with the ordinance.

Vocational Training for the Disabled

The provision for vocational training continued to expand during the year, following the transfer of the Vocational Training Section of the Aberdeen Rehabilitation Centre from the Social Welfare Department to the Technical Education and Industrial Training Depart- ment in February. This brought the total number of training places in government and subvented centres to 616.

The development of supportive services for disabled students attending full-time and part-time courses in the technical institutes took another step forward with special tutorial classes. In response to requests from disabled students, trainees and employees, the department provides special aids and machine adaptations through the Technical Aids and Resource Centre to improve job prospects for the disabled. Since its inception in July 1982, some 50 aids and adaptations have been completed. Having taken over the responsibility for subvented vocational training centres for the disabled in the private sector in October 1982, the department is helping to improve the quality of training provided at these centres through a more systematic approach to training for open employment. This is being achieved through better staffing, equipment and facilities, more appropriate training programmes and methods, and in-service training courses for staff. A Standard of Practice, serving as a guideline for the operation and administration of the centres, was produced during the year.

Teacher Education

General teacher education is provided at the three Colleges of Education Grantham, Northcote and Sir Robert Black - and at the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College, all run by the Education Department. Three-year full-time initial courses of training are offered at the three Colleges of Education for students with Hong Kong Certificate of Education qualifications, while two-year full-time courses are run by Northcote College of Education and Sir Robert Black College of Education for students who have obtained Grade E or above in two or more subjects in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination. The three Colleges of Education and the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College also offer an in-service Advanced Course of Teacher Education in six subject areas for teachers in government and aided schools. Part-time in-service courses of training are provided for teachers of kindergarten, primary and secondary schools as well as for special education teachers. An eight-week retraining course for primary school teachers is run at Grantham