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Quality talent was important for the further development of Hong Kong Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) market, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Mr Frederick Ma said today (November 22).
Mr Ma was speaking at the Workshop on Human Resources Development for MICE and related-tourism sectors held in the Central Government Offices.
"This is the first platform that has brought together trainers, employers and policymakers to exchange views on human resources issues faced by our MICE industries," Mr Ma said.
The workshop, organised by the Tourism Commission, was to provide a platform for leading players from MICE and related tourism sectors, representatives of tertiary and training institutes, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and government to exchange views on issues related to the development of Hong Kong's MICE market. Items discussed included major challenges in human resources development faced by MICE and related tourism sectors; provision of training courses at various levels to meet the evolving needs of MICE and related tourism sectors; and strategies in recruiting and retaining local and overseas talent to support the development of MICE and related tourism sectors in the long-term.
"We are now living in a world that is vastly more resilient, open and fast changing than ever before," Mr Ma said.
"To better serve our MICE industry, we need to ensure that our graduates can meet the requirements of the industry, and our existing MICE and tourism workforce is equipped to meet new challenges."
More than 60 participants joined the workshop, including conference and exhibition organisers, travel agents, hotel general managers, tourist guides, professors and lecturers from universities and training institutes, and representatives from the Immigration Department and the University Grants Committee. They exchanged views on human resources development for MICE and related tourism sectors and provided useful insights for the formulation of relevant policies.
Ends/Thursday, November 22, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:08
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