The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (September 16) officiated at the Qualifications Framework (QF) Partnerships Commendation Ceremony 2025 and presented certificates of commendation to 94 enterprises and 53 education and training organisations in recognition of their support and contributions to the implementation of the QF.

     Dr Choi said at the ceremony that since its launch in 2008, the QF has developed steadily with wide application and recognition across various sectors thanks to the unwavering support from partners, including industries, professional bodies, and education and training providers. She expressed her gratitude to all members of various Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs) for their active participation in building and promoting the QF over the years, and looks forward to the continued collaboration across sectors to further promote the application of the QF, foster lifelong learning, enhance the quality of manpower, and drive the sustainable development of industries and society as a whole.

     At present, ITACs are established for 23 industries under the QF, covering over half of the workforce in Hong Kong. All of these industries have drawn up Specifications of Competency Standards (SCS), among which 19 industries have also implemented the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mechanism, and 13 have developed Vocational Qualifications Pathways (VQP).

     The Education Bureau (EDB) will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to promote the continued development of the QF, including expediting the development of VQP, with the goal of covering at least 18 industries by the end of 2027. The EDB will also continue to leverage the QF platform to promote vocational and professional education and training through the strategy of fostering industry-institution collaboration and diversified development.  

     This year, three "QF Gold Star Employers" and 91 "QF Star Employers" were commended for making good use of the tools and supporting mechanisms of the QF in at least one of the following areas to enhance the quality of human resources within the organisation:

     1. Developing VQP courses or SCS-based courses within the companies to enhance the synergy between learning and employment;

     2. Encouraging employees to apply for RPL qualifications to have their experience and competencies recognised under the QF; and

     3. Using QF-recognised qualifications in areas such as human resources development and management to enhance the competitiveness of the enterprises and support their long-term development.

     In addition, 53 "QF Star Training Providers" were commended for their efforts in developing VQP courses, SCS-based courses, Specifications of Generic Competencies-based courses, or implementing Credit Accumulation and Transfer, providing learners with more flexible learning pathways. Moreover, over 120 organisations were awarded certificates of "QF Star Supporter" in recognition of their active promotion of the application of the QF.

     The ceremony also featured a QF in Action (QFIA) commendation session, commending 18 organisations as a 2024 QFIA Achiever and 31 partner organisations as a 2024 QFIA Achiever (Partner), marking a record high in the number of awardees and achieving the broadest applicability. These organisations actively utilised the QF in 2023-2024 to develop projects related to human resource management, professional development, and industry-institution collaboration. Dr Choi envisaged that these exemplary cases would inspire more organisations to adopt the QF in the future and foster talent development.

     The QF is a seven-level hierarchy covering qualifications in the academic, vocational and professional, as well as continuing education and training sectors, defining clear and objective standards applicable to respective qualifications. The primary objective of the QF is to encourage and facilitate lifelong learning, with a view to enhancing the quality, professional capability and competitiveness of the workforce in Hong Kong.

Ends/Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:55

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