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A set of improvement measures to enhance the operation of the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) will be implemented from May 5, to dovetail with the official launch of the Qualifications Framework (QF).
A spokesman for the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) said today (April 26), ˇ§Following a review completed in mid-2007, improvement measures have been introduced by phases to enhance the operation of the CEF since last September. The linkage of the CEF to the QF/Specifications of Competency Standards (SCSs) represents the implementation of the final phase of the improvement measures.
ˇ§The tie-in will on the one hand enhance the relevance of CEF courses so that they can better meet the manpower needs of the industries and, on the other, provide financial support to learners in those industries that have joined the QF.ˇ¨
The Education Bureau announced earlier today that the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance (Cap.1150), which provides for the legislative framework for the quality assurance mechanism underpinning the QF, would commence full operation on May 5. This will also kickstart the final-phase measures to enhance the operation of the CEF.
ˇ§From then on, all new CEF courses will have to undergo a formal accreditation exercise conducted by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications and be registered under the Qualifications Register (QR) before their registration under the CEF.
ˇ§New courses falling outside the eight specified domains of the CEF may also be considered for registration under the CEF upon the launch of the QF if they are designed in accordance with the SCSs drawn up by the respective Industry Training Advisory Committees and are registered under the QR,ˇ¨ the LWB spokesman said.
The eight specified domains of the CEF are business services, financial services, logistics, tourism, creative industry, design, language, and interpersonal and intrapersonal skills for the workplace.
According to the Education Bureau, SCSs have been developed so far for five industries, including that of printing & publishing, watch & clock, hairdressing, property management, as well as information & communications technology (software services and products), whereas the forthcoming ones are jewellery and Chinese catering industries. The completed SCSs have been uploaded on the website of the QF (http://www.hkqf.gov.hk/) for public reference.
Ends/Saturday, April 26, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:00
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