CSPE holds sharing session on alignment of post-secondary institutions and industries and consultancy study on governance and quality assurance (with photos)
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The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education:

     A sharing session with post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders of the self-financing post-secondary education sector organised by the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education (CSPE) was held today (November 24). The Chairman of the CSPE, Mr Tim Lui, said, "Closer alignment between the self-financing post-secondary institutions and the industries as well as enhancement of governance and quality assurance of the self-financing post-secondary sector are the two priority areas of work of the Committee." The sharing session aimed to engage stakeholders in the sector in an open and constructive dialogue on the development of the above issues.

     The CSPE held the "Seminar on Closer Alignment between Post-secondary Education Institutions and Industries" on October 30, 2013, to serve as a catalyst to promote exchanges between institutions and industries in broadening opportunities for young people, and improving their employability and nurturing talent for the social and economic development of Hong Kong. To sustain the momentum, the CSPE initiated, among other measures, a stock-taking exercise of the current situation through a questionnaire survey for post-secondary institutions and focus group meetings with post-secondary graduates facilitated by the Education Bureau.

     The Deputy Secretary for Education, Mr Brian Lo, highlighted the key findings of the questionnaire survey at the sharing session and said, "Many institutions have industry participation in their programme and curriculum design. They also collaborate with the industries regularly in organising a variety of activities for students including company visits, career talks, mentorship programmes and competitions. In terms of placement and internship arrangements, business, hospitality/tourism and journalism were the three disciplines which arranged more placement and internships for students."

     Institutions were also invited in the sharing session to share their good practices and experiences on their efforts in collaborating with the industries and professional bodies.

     Separately, in order to further promote the enhancement of governance and quality assurance for the self-financing post-secondary education sector, the CSPE had earlier engaged an external consultant to conduct a consultancy study entitled "Local and International Good Practices in the Governance and Quality Assurance of the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Sector", with a view to developing a code of good practices for further advancing the development of the sector. The report of the consultancy study was published in August 2014, and the full report and executive summary can be downloaded from the website of the Concourse for Self-financing Post-secondary Education (www.cspe.edu.hk).

     "We held the sharing session today to share with the self-financing post-secondary institutions the findings and recommendations in the report as well as to listen to views and suggestions from the stakeholders, so that the CSPE can work out a code of good practices for the sector, to be adopted on a voluntary basis, tentatively in the first half of 2015," Mr Lui said.

     Established in April 2012, the CSPE advises the Secretary for Education on macro and strategic issues of common interest to the self-financing post-secondary education sector and the quality and development of the sector.

Ends/Monday, November 24, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:36

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