FSDC releases reports on market development and human capital
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The following is issued on behalf of the Financial Services Development Council:

     The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) today (April 4) released two reports, one on the FSDC's promotional activities and another on a pilot scheme for training courses.

     The Chairman of the FSDC, Mrs Laura Cha, said, "In a little over a year since the establishment of the FSDC, all five of our committees have issued their respective reports. These reports present both macro- and micro-level recommendations as well as concrete initiatives for the Government's consideration.

     "The FSDC looks forward to further engaging with the industry and collaborating with various stakeholders to consolidate Hong Kong's position as the pre-eminent international financial centre based in Asia," Mrs Cha said.

     To help raise the profile of Hong Kong's financial services industry, over the past year the FSDC has collaborated with various industry stakeholders and participated in international fora and topical seminars, where messages illustrating the competitiveness of Hong Kong's financial services industry were highlighted to local and international audiences.

     Looking ahead, the FSDC will continue to actively promote Hong Kong's strategic role as an international financial centre. In particular, it will support and co-sponsor two of Hong Kong Trade Development Council's key promotional events, namely the "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" roadshow in October 2014 and the Asian Financial Forum in January 2015. The FSDC will also seek opportunities to support events organised by the stakeholders of "Hong Kong Inc", including those held on the Mainland.

     Regarding the pilot scheme for training courses, the FSDC will play a facilitating role in assisting the Hang Seng Management College (HSMC), Hong Kong College of Technology (HKCT) and Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute (HKSI) to develop practical training courses on compliance, settlement and wealth management services, which will be aimed at both fresh graduates and practitioners already in the field.

     The FSDC will assist the institutions in reaching out to the industry to secure teaching staff and possible internship positions. Courses developed by the HKCT and the HKSI are targeted for rolling out later this year, while the HSMC is aiming for an inaugural in-take by 2016. The FSDC hopes that the pilot scheme will demonstrate how the industry and training institutions can strengthen partnership in human capital development for the financial services industry.

     The reports can be downloaded from the FSDC website: www.fsdc.org.hk.¡@

About the FSDC
 
     The HKSAR Government announced in January 2013 the establishment of the FSDC as a high-level, cross-sectoral advisory body to engage the industry in formulating proposals to promote the further development of Hong Kong's financial services industry and to map out the strategic direction for development.
 
     The FSDC has established five committees, namely the Financial Development Research Committee; Mainland Opportunities Committee; New Business Committee; Market Development Committee; and the Human Capital Committee.

Ends/Friday, April 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:00

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