$3.5M to develop technical skills

Press, 27 June 1987, Page 5

$3.5M to develop technical skills

PA , ■I, , . . Wellington a A $3.5 million Budget package to develop technological skills and opportunities, has been announced by the Minister of Science and . Technology, Mr Tizard. 1>; The funding supply extra skills_ through technical and scientific';; training for more than 150 ■■ people. •'■■■• : 'Y-. • This included $600,000 to fund university scholarships for groups underrepresented in the sciences including women, and Maori and Pacific Island undergraduates. About $1 million would also be allocated to make scientific and technological expertise available for marae and communitybased initiatives in agriculture or industry, Mr

Tizard said. ' ■ A further $2 million, each year would fund salaries and training costs of technical trainees in high-demand areas such as information technology, food technology and materials, science. ;j; <Mr . Tizard emphasised jithej Government’s ; com 3 mitment to findings of the Ministerial working party on science and ; technology, the Beattie report. It had led to, an ad-; visory board’s being set up using funds from this year’s Budget. Recommendations from the Beattie report now being taken up included the school curriculum reyie.w, training more technical staff and encouraging a wider public and private interest in science in schools.