Government fully supports Project Springboard

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The Government today (August 11) reiterated its full support for the Project Springboard and its intention to recognise the qualifications of the programme for the purpose of Civil Service recruitment.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the Project Springboard this morning, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mrs Fanny Law said that member institutes of the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions would soon set up a committee for quality assurance comprising representatives from the member institutes, the Government, employers and the education sector.

"The Committee will ensure through a systemic quality assurance process that each course under the programme attains the required level," said Mrs Law.

"The process is expected to be completed in October. The Government will then formally announce its recognition of the qualifications to set an example for all employers to follow suit."

Mrs Law noted that response had been overwhelming since the programme started to receive applications.

"Many courses have already been fully subscribed. On the condition that the quality of the courses will not be compromised, the members institutes of the Federation have, after careful consideration, decided to offer 1000 odd places for full-time study to meet the demand," she added.

"The Project Springboard is provided mainly for those wishing to pursue continuing education to enable them to obtain a "pass" for lifelong learning. They can obtain qualifications recognised by tertiary institutions after completing the study and will be qualified to enrol for courses at the next higher level.

"The courses offered by the programme are different from the traditional secondary school courses in both their content and mode of instruction. The programme aims to provide "students of high calibre but with low scores" with yet another avenue for education. Through 40 newly-designed, practical elective modules, a student will develop an interest in learning, acquire a feeling of success and rebuild his self-confidence.

"The 10 member institutes will mutually recognise qualifications obtained from the Project Springboard for the purpose of applying for continuing education courses at a higher level. Such mutual recognition facilitates a more flexible and varied articulation ladder for dedicated students and sets an important milestone for continuing education in Hong Kong."

Mrs Law pointed out that for those school leavers who did not want to continue their studies but to obtain practical working experience, the Government would continue to run the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme (YPTP) this year to provide them with short-term pre-employment training. The YPTP could help them understand more about the job market and acquire the basic employment skills.

"The Project Springboard and YPTP have different objectives, contents and targets. I hope that secondary 5 school leavers can make a good choice between the two according to their own requirements," she said.

End/Friday, August 11, 2000

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