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To help Secondary 7 (S7) and Secondary 5 (S5) students preparing for this year's release of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination and the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination results, the Education Bureau (EDB) is providing comprehensive information on further studies through various channels.
An EDB spokesman said today (June 18), "The bureau strives to provide all the necessary information to help S7 and S5 graduates to choose suitable institutions and programmes for further studies. The EDB is, by various means, providing guidance on the planning of career paths for S5 and S7 graduates and information on the multiple study pathways and courses that are open to them. We encourage students to carefully assess their own career aspirations and situation, and study the related career information before making an informed choice about their articulation pathway."
The EDB has updated the "Information Portal for Accredited Self-financing Post-secondary Programmes", or iPASS, website (www.ipass.gov.hk). The website contains information on self-financing higher diploma, associate degree and degree programmes offered by various post-secondary institutions in the 2010/11 academic year. For each programme, information provided includes tuition fees, entry requirements, accreditation and recognition by relevant professional bodies (where applicable). Institution-related information has also been updated on the iPASS website, including student enrolment figures, qualifications of teaching staff, and teaching facilities available. Articulation and employment statistics of institutions' sub-degree graduates last year are also shown.
In addition, the EDB will organise the annual Information Expo for Secondary School Leavers on the L1 floor of the Sky Dome Atrium of Discovery Park Shopping Centre on July 17 and 18. The expo will provide information on multiple articulation pathways. There will be more than 20 exhibition booths on locally accredited post-secondary programmes, vocational education courses, the iPASS website, Project Yi Jin and information for non-Chinese speaking students, as well as talks on S6 admission procedures and further study opportunities for S5 and S7 graduates.
The bureau continues to produce careers guidance handbooks for S7 and S5 graduates in conjunction with the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters. The handbooks provide students with comprehensive information on further studies, vocational education opportunities and career paths for S7 and S5 graduates. While the Careers Guidance Handbook for Secondary 7 Graduates (S7 handbook) is now being distributed free of charge to S7 graduates via schools, the bureau's Regional Education Offices, the "Youth Employment Start" of the Labour Department, and public enquiry service centres of various district offices, the Careers Guidance Handbook for Secondary 5 Graduates (S5 handbook) will be distributed on July 9.
The electronic versions of the S7 and S5 handbooks are uploaded on the iPASS website and the Career Guidance Service website (www.edb.gov.hk/cgs) respectively today. The e-version of the S5 handbook is available six weeks ahead of the release the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) results in order to better prepare the last cohort of S5 graduates for the release of the HKCEE results and ensure their early access to relevant information.
The spokesman appealed to secondary school leavers to choose accredited programmes when considering further studies. He said, "When selecting sub-degree programmes, students should take into account the quality of the institution, the content of the concerned programmes, the minimum entry requirements, as well as their own abilities and interests."
Ends/Friday, June 18, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:59
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