ON-THE-JOB TRAINING IN INDUSTRIES (Legislation for compulsory intake of students)

Mr Low Guan Onn asked the Minister for Education, in view of the reluctance and unco-operative attitude of employers to offer on-the-job training opportunities for short periods of time to students of Vocational Institutes, the Polytechnic and the Universities, if the Government will consider introducing legislation to make it compulsory for industries to take in a quota of students for such training each year.

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry is aware that active participation of industry at various levels in some form of in-plant training scheme is essential. We do get the co-operation of some industrial establishments in providing short-term training, conducted within the institutional training period during vacation.

As industry in Singapore is now undergoing development and expansion, many d~ not have the necessary supervisors and industrial training officers to organise effective on-the-job training programmes.

With a greater output of vocational-technical graduates from our institutions by 1970, the question of promoting this facet of technical education by suitable legislative measures or fiscal relief may be considered, if co-operation from industry is still not adequately forthcoming by then.

Inche Abdul Aziz Karim (Kallang): Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Parliamentary Secretary consider measures to see that apprentices and trainees are not exploited as cheap labour if legislation is introduced?

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng: Sir, I assure the hon. Member for Kallang that we will consider this matter very carefully.

Inche Abdul Aziz Karim: Sir, does the Parliamentary Secretary not consider the reluctance and unco-operative attitude of certain employers selfish and shortsighted and not conducive to the national interest in economic development?

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I will say "reluctance" but not "unco-operative". The reluctance of employers is due more to the lack of personnel to conduct these courses. For such courses to be effective, there must be suitable and adequate supervisory personnel. At this stage of development and industrialisation, most of the industries, I am afraid, are not adequately equipped with such personnel.