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EDUCATION

Vocational Training

To meet the increasing demand for skilled manpower, opportunities for vocational training are being expanded to give more people the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge in a wide and ever growing range and level of jobs.

Much of this effort is the result of the activities of the Vocational Training Council which was set up in 1982 under the Vocational Training Council Ordinance. The council's role is to advise on measures required to ensure a comprehensive system of technical education and industrial training suited to the developing needs of Hong Kong; to set up, develop and operate training schemes for training operatives, craftsmen, technicians and technologists necessary to maintain and improve Hong Kong's industry, commerce and services; and also to establish, operate and maintain technical institutes and industrial training centres.

Under the council are 19 training boards and six general committees. The training boards cover major economic sectors: accountancy; automobile; banking; building and civil engineering; clothing; electrical; electronics; hotel, catering and tourism; insurance; jewel- lery; journalism; machine shop and metal working; merchant navy; plastics; printing; shipbuilding and ship repair; textiles; transport and physical distribution; and wholesale/ retail and import/export trades. The six general committees deal with apprenticeship and trade testing; electronic data processing training; management and supervisory training; technical education; training of technologists; and translation.

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The training boards assess the future manpower needs of their respective industries or commercial sectors and recommend measures to meet such needs, prepare job specifica- tions, design training programmes and trade test guidelines, and carry out other duties such as operating and maintaining training centres. The general committees are responsible for specific training areas which cut across several sectors of the economy. The council, its training boards and committees are serviced partially by its own staff and partially by staff of the Technical Education and Industrial Training Department.

During the year, manpower surveys were conducted in the following 11 sectors: building and civil engineering; clothing; electrical; electronic data processing; hotel, catering and tourism; insurance; jewellery; mass media; plastics; textiles; and transport and physical distribution. In the same period, the training boards prepared or revised job specifications, training programmes and trade test guidelines for all principal jobs in their industries. A glossary of common technical terms used in commerce and services was also being finalised. All completed survey reports and manuals are on sale at the Government Publications Centre.

Technical Education

The five existing Technical Institutes

Morrison Hill, Kwai Chung, Kwun Tong, Haking Wong and Lee Wai Lee - continued to provide courses at craft and technician levels by full- time, block-release, part-time day release and part-time evening attendance. A large number of short courses were also offered and these are mainly designed to update the knowledge and skills of persons in employment. The main disciplines covered by the institutes include: clothing, commercial studies, construction, design, electrical engineering, general studies, hotel-keeping and tourism studies, industrial technology, marine and fabrication, mechan- ical engineering, motor vehicle engineering, printing and textiles. Most technician level courses have been validated by the UK Business and Technician Education Council (BTEC) and students attending these courses are able to register for the council's awards.

The demand for places on most courses continued to be high. The average ratio of qualified applicants to full-time places was 11:1. Student enrolments for the 1985-6