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The Government today (August 7) announced the details of the Project Springboard, a new programme of continuing education sponsored by the Government.

"The programme provides a new avenue for Secondary Five leavers and adult learners to pursue continuing education," said Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Philip Chok.

"Courses under the programme are developed and delivered by the 10 member institutes of the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions," Mr Chok said.

"The Programme has been designed to enable students, upon its satisfactory completion, a qualification which will be at a standard comparable to HKCEE (five subject passes) for both continuing education and employment purposes," he added.

The 10 member institutes of the Federation will mutually recognise qualifications obtained from the Project Springboard. Students who have passed the Project Springboard programmes may apply for courses at the next higher level offered by any member institute of the Federation.

"Mutual recognition of qualification facilitates a clear and effective articulation ladder for dedicated students. Since this is the first time that Federation members mutually recognise the qualifications gained from the courses they offer, the Project Springboard is an important milestone for continuing education in Hong Kong," he stressed.

The Project Springboard combines academic pursuits with training in practical skills. Students will not follow a traditional HKCEE syllabus. The focus of the programme is placed on developing self-learning skills, to allow the students to pursue further studies independently, as well as to receive training in practical skills. To acquire the full certificate, a student would have to complete a total of 600 hours of study. This is made up of 420 hours of study through seven compulsory modules: Chinese, English (two modules), Putonghua, information technology applications, mathematics in practice, and communication skills.

In addition, a student has to complete 180 hours of study in three elective modules, which are varied according to the offering institution. At this stage, a total of over 40 elective modules are offered by the participating institutions. Such modules include computer networking, multimedia design, advertising design, business practices, insurance studies, accounting and others.

A student may enrol either full-time or part-time. Full-time study requires one academic year to complete whereas part-time study requires normally two academic years.

Courses are run by the institutions on a self-financing basis. Fees for one module average $2,500 to $3,000. To complete the 10 required modules, the fees payable would be $25,000 to $30,000, which would be collected in two stages for full-time students.

Students joining the programme may apply for assistance under the Non-means-tested Loan Scheme to pay for the tuition fee. Government will reimburse 30 per cent of the tuition fee to students who have achieved 80 per cent or more attendance and passed the standard assessment. Full-time students may also apply for travel subsidy.

The Government has allocated $5 million for curriculum development. The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council has approved the expenditure of $200 million on this Project for the coming three years.

"The Government is considering recognising the Project Springboard qualification for the purpose of civil service recruitment. It will also introduce the programme to employer groups so that they can gain a clear understanding of the training received by the students," Mr Chok said.

Application forms for the Project Springboard can be collected at the offices of the 10 institutes. The deadline for application will be September 9, 2000, and classes will start in early October.

A joint-institute exhibition will be held from August 11 to 13 at the Hong Kong Productivity Council Building during which applications will be collected.

The 10 member institutes are:

* Caritas Adult and Higher Education Service;

* Division of Continuing Professional Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education;

* Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education, Open University of Hong Kong;

* Lingnan University;

* School of Continuing and Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong;

* School of Continuing Education, Hong Kong Baptist University;

* School of Continuing Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong;

* School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong;

* School of Professional Education & Executive Development, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and

* Vocational Training Council.

End/Monday, August 7, 2000

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