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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to providing quality, flexible and diversified study pathways with multiple entry and exit points for secondary school leavers, the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, said today (February 13).
Speaking at the 24th Education and Careers Expo organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Ng said, "The future prosperity of any city will depend on the talents, skills and creativity of its people. Our challenge - and opportunity - is to build up the best trained workforce that can rise to intense competition from around the world.
"In connection, the Government has sought to provide more opportunities for higher education and attached great importance to vocational education and training."
In the Policy Address announced last month, the Government unveiled its plan to provide students with more opportunities for higher education in the following five ways:
(i) First, increase the intake of senior-year undergraduate places in University Grants Committee-funded institutions by 1 000 so that more meritorious sub-degree graduates will be able to articulate to subsidised degree programmes each year;
(ii) Second, study the feasibility of a new scheme to subsidise up to 1 000 students per cohort to pursue self-financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines to meet Hong Kong's manpower needs;
(iii) Third, introduce a Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme so that students in need pursuing studies under the scheme for the Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions may receive a means-tested grant of up to $15,000 per year during their studies;
(iv) Fourth, implement a new scholarship scheme to support up to 100 outstanding local students in each cohort to pursue studies in renowned universities outside Hong Kong, with a view to nurturing a diversified pool of top talent to spur Hong Kong's development; and
(v) Lastly, set up a $100 million scholarship fund under which tertiary institutions will be encouraged to admit about 20 local students a year who excel in sport, arts and community service.
In addition, the Government will also implement measures to help young people with life planning and strengthen vocational education in a number of ways, including:
(i) Strengthening career guidance service and life planning education in secondary schools;
(ii) Launching a pilot training and support scheme to attract and retain talent for industries with a keen demand for labour by integrating structured apprenticeship training programmes with clear career progression pathways;
(iii) Allocating recurrent funding to the Vocational Training Council to provide industrial attachment opportunities for all students of Higher Diploma programmes and students of some Diploma in Vocational Education programmes; and
(iv) Setting up a $1 billion endowment fund, the investment income of which will be used to provide long-term support for the sustainable development of the Qualifications Framework.
For the grooming of talents for Hong Kong, Mr Ng appealed to all stakeholders, especially enterprises and the business sector, to provide training and internship opportunities for young people to supplement their studies and gain first-hand experience of the various professions.
He said he believes that the concerted effort could prepare Hong Kong's young people to meet the challenges and opportunities in a knowledge-based economy.
Ends/Thursday, February 13, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:18
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