***********************

The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, visited Kwai Tsing District this morning (December 11) to learn more about the vocational training and retraining programmes and employment opportunities for the youth and middle-age workers. Mr Tang also visited a family living in Cheung Ching Estate and attended a public forum in Maritime Square on Tsing Yi to listen to the views of the community on the 2005 Budget.

Accompanied by the District Officer (Kwai Tsing), Mr Allan Chow, and the Executive Director of Employees Retraining Board, Mr S S Kwong, Mr Tang visited the Hong Kong YWCA Lai Yiu Retraining and Social Service Centre. Mr Tang observed cookery, room making and cleaning lessons tailer-made for domestic helper and housekeeper trainees. Mr Tang then joined a discussion session with a group of trainees and graduates of domestic helper, personal care worker and property management courses.

The trainees told Mr Tang that they found the retraining courses useful not only in equiping them with the necessary work skills but also in helping them build up confidence in rejoining the work market. Mr Tang said, "In this increasingly competitive economy, the importance of life-long learning cannot be over-emphasised." He encouraged the trainees to continue to upgrade themselves and improve their work skills and knowledge so that they could continue to add value to the services they provided.

Mr Tang then proceeded to visit the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi). Accompanied by the Chancellor of the Institute, Dr Lawrence Chan, Mr Tang visited the Multi-media Department to view projects undertaken by the students. The Financial Secretary then spoke with a group of students and graduates to understand more about the employment prospect of the students and the opportunities and challenges faced by them in pursuing further studies and in their career advancement.

Mr Tang also visited a family living in Cheung Ching Estate to chat with them issues about work, life in the district and education for the childen.

The Financial secretary then attended a public forum on the 2005 Budget produced by a cable TV station where he exchanged views with about 150 participants on the considerations concerning preparation of next year's Budget.

Ends/Saturday, December 11, 2004

NNNN

News clip (Real Media/Windows Media)