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Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Wai-keung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, in the Legislative Council today (June 4):
Question:
Regarding the vocational education programmes offered by the Vocational Training Council (VTC), will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(1) the respective numbers of full-time or part-time Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) and Higher Diploma (HD) programmes offered by VTC in the academic years between 2008-2009 and 2012-2013, and in respect of such programmes, (i) the academic disciplines, (ii) the entry requirements, (iii) the durations of study, (iv) the numbers of places offered, (v) the numbers of students enrolled and (vi) the numbers of graduates, and set out a breakdown, by programme title and academic year, in tables of the same format as the table at Annex 1.
(2) The criteria adopted by VTC for determining the ratio of the number of DVE programmes to that of HD programmes; and
(3) whether VTC will consider running more part-time programmes; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government established the Vocational Training Council (VTC) in 1982 under the Vocational Training Council Ordinance (Cap. 1130) to promote the development of vocational education in Hong Kong. VTC offers a wide range of full-time and part-time vocational education programmes which lead to formal qualifications from post-Secondary 3 up to degree levels.
(1) VTC offers over 200 Diploma in Vocational Education (DVE) and Higher Diploma (HD) programmes annually covering the disciplines of applied science, design, engineering, hospitality, child education and community services, business and information technology.
From the 2009/10 to 2013/14 academic year (AY), the numbers of planned places, students enrolled and graduates of DVE (Diploma in Vocational Studies under the old academic structure) and HD by discipline are provided at Annex 2 and Annex 3 respectively.
In the 2013/14 AY, the general admission criteria and duration of study of DVE and HD are set out at Annex 4.
(2 & 3) VTC will consider a variety of factors, including Government policies, manpower requirement of the market, development of the industries, number of students enrolled and internal resources in programmes planning. In future, VTC will continue to offer programmes that meet the needs of the industries and students. For instance, VTC is planning to launch a pilot training and support scheme for industries with keen demand for labour. It will attract young people and in-service personnel to pursue vocational education and develop a career in the relevant industries by integrating structured apprenticeship training programmes with clear progression pathways.
Ends/Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:45
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