ENG-1987 — Page 153

EDUCATION

121

To meet the increasing demand for courses, plans were in hand to provide additional accommodation at the Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong Technical Institutes and to redevelop the annex of the Morrison Hill Technical Institute.

Industrial Training

The Vocational Training Council operates 16 training centres for training manpower for the automobile, banking, electrical, electronic data processing, electronics, gas, hotel, insurance, jewellery, machine shop and metal working, plastics, precision tooling, printing, shipping, textile, and welding industries. Together they provide off-the-job basic or updating training for over 17 000 trainees a year on a full-time or part-time basis, with skill levels ranging from the operative to the technologist.

The Engineering Graduate Training Scheme, launched by the council in 1983, aims at bringing about sufficient opportunities for post-graduate training for engineering graduates of a standard acceptable to the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and other equivalent institutions for corporate membership purposes. Since April 1985, the scheme has been extended to cater to the training needs of students on certain sandwich degree courses. In 1987, 101 engineering firms participated in the scheme and provided suitable training places. The council also administers a scheme on behalf of the Industry Department for the training of engineers in the design of application specific integrated circuits (ASIC). The scheme was launched in May 1987 to assist local electronic firms to train 90 local engineers in overseas facilities.

The Management Development Centre of Hong Kong carries out research, develop- ment, co-ordination and promotion of management training. Its programmes and projects include work with owner-managers and entrepreneurial firms, the creation of learning materials, and activities with management teachers and trainers and business executives.

Apart from apprenticeship schemes in the industrial sectors, commercial traineeship schemes are also beginning to gain popularity in the accountancy and insurance sectors. A Subsidised Training Course Programme is also being operated with the aim of upgrading in-service personnel in the accountancy, banking, journalism, transport and physical distribution and wholesale/retail and import/export sectors. Employees in these sectors can attend courses sponsored by the council but run by one of the teaching or training institutions. About 50 per cent of the course fee will be refunded upon satisfactory completion of the course.

Training Authorities

D

The Clothing Industry Training Authority and the Construction Industry Training Authority are statutory bodies set up in 1975 to establish and operate training centres for these particular industries. The former is financed by a training levy based on the export value of clothing items while the latter is financed by a levy based on the value of con- struction works exceeding $1 million. There are now two training centres for construction trades with a third being built, and two centres for training in clothing manufacture.

Apprenticeship Scheme

The Apprenticeship Ordinance provides a legal framework for the training of craftsmen and technicians. It requires an employer to enter into a contract of apprenticeship when engaging a person aged between 14 and 18 in one of the 42 designated trades specified in the ordinance, unless that person has completed an apprenticeship in the trade. The contract must be registered with the Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training.