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The Government announced today (Friday) the appointment of eleven new members and the reappointment of three serving members to the Vocational Training Council (VTC).

The new appointments follow the appointment of Mr Yeung Kai-yin as the Chairman and the reappointment of Dr Ng Tat-lun as the Deputy Chairman of the VTC in January 1998. At that time the term of office of all other serving non-official members of the VTC (other than Dr Law Song-seng from Singapore, who was appointed from December 12, 1997 to December 31, 1999) was extended until June 30, 1998.

The new and reappointed members, whose term of office will run until June 30, 2000, are:

Mr Russell John Black

Mrs Amy Chan Cheng Yi-yim

Mr George Chao Sze-kwong, JP

Mr Clement Chen Cheng-jen

Dr Lily Chiang

Hon Bernard Charnwut Chan

Mr Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, JP

Dr the Hon Lui Ming-wah, JP

Mr Dennis Lui Pok-man

Mr Pang Yuk-wing

Hon Tam Yiu-chung, JP

Mr Michael Tien Puk-sun, JP

Hon Kenneth Ting Woo-shou, JP

Mr Yeung Kwok-keung, JP

The Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, welcomed the appointments.

"The VTC is undergoing reforms to make it more responsive to the changing needs of the economy. One way to achieve this aim is to establish closer links between the VTC and the various sectors of commerce and industry which employ their trainees. The accomplishments and business experience of the newly appointed and reappointed members will be particularly useful in this respect."

Mr Wong also paid tribute to those former members of the VTC. They are:

Professor Jerry W Barrett

Professor Patrick Cheng Yiu-chung, CBE, JP

Mr William R Donald

Dr the Hon Raymond Ho Chung-tai, MBE, JP

Professor Joseph Lai Ki-leuk

Mr Ronald Lau Yiu-fai

Ms Li Fung-ying, MBE

Mr T Brian Stevenson

Mr Larry Tchou Ming-kong

Professor Joshua Wong Sook-leung

The Hon Howard Young How-wah, JP

"During their period of office the Council considered major changes in how technical education and vocational training would be provided in future. Their wisdom and sound advice is much appreciated."

The VTC was set up in 1982 to advise the Government on measures to ensure a comprehensive system of technical education and vocational training suited to Hong Kong's developing needs.

At present it runs two technical colleges, seven technical institutes, 24 industrial training centres and three skills centres for persons with a disability, as well as having statutory authority for apprenticeship. It has an enrolment of some 110,000 students, both full-time and part-time.

End/Friday, August 14, 1998

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