Following is a question by the Hon Jimmy Ng and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (October 14):
 
Question:
 
     The Government has been promoting the development of vocational and professional education and training (VPET) for many years. With the Government's support, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) has implemented the Pilot Incentive Scheme to Employers (PISE) under the Training and Support Scheme (the Support Scheme) to encourage employers to provide workplace learning and assessment for learners, thereby enhancing their work performance. It is learnt that there are public concerns as to whether the Government will further promote and support the development of VPET. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) as far as the Support Scheme is concerned, (i) of the respective numbers of employers and learners participating in the Support Scheme in the past three school years, with a breakdown by industry; (ii) whether it will increase the training places and raise the ceiling on the monthly subsidy for learners under the Support Scheme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; (iii) whether it will provide more incentives for employers to encourage more industrial and commercial enterprises to participate in the Support Scheme; if so, of the details;
 
(2) as far as the PISE is concerned, (i) of the respective numbers of employers and learners participating in the PISE in the past three school years, with a breakdown by industry; (ii) whether it will study raising the ceiling on the subsidy for employers under the PISE; if so, of the details; (iii) whether it will consider extending the PISE to cover VPET courses organised by institutions other than the VTC; (iv) whether it will study formulating industry-recognised standards for skills tests; if so, of the details; (v) whether it will further extend or regularise the PISE; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether it will consider launching more new schemes to strengthen VPET and apprenticeship training; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In line with the strategic deployment of the National 15th Five-Year Plan to promote the integrated development of education, technology and talent, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's First Five-Year Plan clearly states that the Government will advance the high-quality development of vocational and professional education and training (VPET). To this end, the Education Bureau (EDB) continues to adopt the strategy of "fostering industry-institution collaboration and diversified development" under a multi-pronged approach to promote VPET as a pathway parallel to conventional academic education, encouraging industry-education collaboration and the collaboration between schools and businesses, providing diversified learning and employment opportunities, thereby nurturing more high-quality talent equipped with applied skills.
 
     The reply to the Hon Jimmy Ng's question is as follows:
 
(1) The Government has supported the Vocational Training Council (VTC) to launch the Training and Support Scheme (the Support Scheme) on a pilot basis since the 2014/15 academic year (AY), and has regularised it since the 2019/20 AY. The Support Scheme aims to provide structured classroom learning and on-the-job training, as well as a stable income for trainees undergoing on-the-job training, so as to attract and retain talent for industries with a keen manpower demand. The Support Scheme currently covers six professional fields, namely Engineering and Technology; Transportation; Design, Jewellery, Creative Industry; Healthcare Services; Testing and Certification; and Hospitality, and offers 1 200 training places each financial year.
 
     The numbers of employers and trainees participating in the Support Scheme in the recent three AYs (i.e. 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2026/27 AYs) are as follows:

Professional field	Industry and relevant programme	Number of employers*/trainees
		2024/25	2025/26	2026/27#
Engineering and Technology	Building Services and Management	42/201	44/222	35/187
	Construction	32/95	38/87	22/50
	Electrical Engineering	43/289	49/242	60/261
	Mechanical Engineering	14/120	23/137	14/112
	Electronic and Information Technology	32/158	31/115	25/86
	Environment and Conservation	0/0	1/2	2/4
Transportation	Automobile	16/105	20/89	11/64
	Aviation	0/0	0/0	0/0
Design, Jewellery, Creative Industry	Design and Printing	3/3	1/2	0/0
	Jewellery and Watches	1/2	1/2	0/0
Healthcare Services	Healthcare Services	8/18	2/4	4/7
Testing and Certification	Testing and Certification	8/17	3/4	7/12
Hospitality	Hotel and Catering	Not applicable^	0/0	0/0
	Culinary Arts and Science	Not applicable^	0/0	0/0
Total		199/1008	213/906	180/783

* Participating employers may employ trainees in more than one industry.
# The figures of 2026/27 AY are up to September 30, 2026.
^ No relevant programme is offered in that year.
 
     The Support Scheme has received positive responses since its launch. The training places and monthly allowance ceiling that are currently offered can generally meet the demand, and industry participation has been satisfactory. The VTC has also maintained close communication with the industries to ensure that the Support Scheme aligns with industry needs and the development of emerging industries while providing sufficient training places. The VTC will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Support Scheme and feedbacks from the industries, and will review and make appropriate adjustments timely when needed.
 
(2) The Government has supported the VTC to implement the Pilot Incentive Scheme to Employers (the Pilot Scheme) under the Support Scheme since the 2019/20 AY. The Pilot Scheme mainly encourages employers to conduct systematic assessment on workplace learning for trainees participating in the Support Scheme. Through assessing and observing directly trainees' abilities and performance, employers could keep track of trainees' learning progress and make timely adjustments to the training content based on the assessment results, thereby effectively enhancing the trainees' overall performance. To encourage employers' participation in the Pilot Scheme, the Government provides participating employers with a subsidy of up to $36,000 per trainee, with 1 000 places offered each AY.
 
     The numbers of employers and trainees participating in the Pilot Scheme in the past three AYs# (i.e. 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26 AYs) are as follows:

Professional field	Industry and relevant programme	Number of employers*/trainees
		2023/24	2024/25	2025/26
Engineering and Technology	Building Services and Management	35/61	32/48	34/27
	Construction	37/89	37/67	22/20
	Electrical Engineering	49/97	38/119	33/91
	Mechanical Engineering	15/42	10/55	16/65
	Electronic and Information Technology	42/100	26/79	28/46
	Environment and Conservation	2/0	0/0	1/2
Transportation	Automobile	15/44	15/50	14/30
	Aviation	5/7	2/0	0/0
Design, Jewellery, Creative Industry	Design and Printing	3/0	3/3	0/0
	Jewellery and Watches	1/0	0/0	1/0
Healthcare Services	Healthcare Services	11/8	6/6	8/0
Testing and Certification	Testing and Certification	5/8	5/9	5/3
Hospitality	Hotel and Catering	Not applicable^	Not applicable^	0/0
	Culinary Arts and Science	Not applicable^	Not applicable^	0/0
Total		220/456	174/436	162/284

# As the 2026/27 AY has just commenced and the Scheme has not yet been implemented, the relevant figures are not yet available.
* Participating employers may employ trainees in more than one industry.
^ No relevant programme is offered in that year.
 
     According to the survey conducted by the VTC, most participating employers were satisfied with the Pilot Scheme and indicated that it enabled them to better understand trainees' abilities. Most trainees indicated that the Pilot Scheme allowed them to demonstrate their learned skills in the workplace, and agreed that the assessment results could enhance the effectiveness of on-the-job training. On the whole, the Pilot Scheme has received positive responses since its launch. The VTC will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the Pilot Scheme and feedbacks from the industries, and will review various arrangements timely, including whether to extend the Pilot Scheme to cover more industries and their relevant programmes.
 
     In addition, under the Qualifications Framework (QF), Industry Training Advisory Committees have been established for 23 industries. They have respectively developed "Specification of Competency Standards" (SCS) tailored to different job functions and roles, setting out the skills and knowledge practitioners must possess, as well as the competency standards they must attain to perform various job functions in the industries. These SCS serve as key reference for talent development, curriculum design and qualifications recognition. Among them, 19 industries have established Recognition of Prior Learning mechanisms based on their SCS, enabling practitioners to have their work-based knowledge, skills and experience formally recognised through relevant tests or assessments, thereby obtaining corresponding QF-recognised qualifications.
 
(3) In recent years, the VTC has strengthened VPET at the secondary school level to help students gain an earlier understanding of the industries and career pathways. With the support of the EDB, the VTC has launched the following two pilot schemes to enable students to gain earlier exposure to VPET, discover their interests and broaden their VPET articulation pathways:
 

1. The Pilot Diploma of Vocational Baccalaureate Programme was launched in the 2018/19 AY, offered by the Youth College under the VTC. It is a three-year vocationally-oriented programme with reference to international standards. Upon completion, students will be awarded an internationally recognised diploma, and may choose to directly articulate to local or overseas undergraduate programmes, to Higher Diploma programmes offered by the VTC, or pursue a career in their respective industries. The Programme has been regularised starting from the 2026/27 AY; and
2. The Pilot Project on Diploma of Vocational Education (Senior Secondary Curriculum) (DVE(SSC)) was launched in the 2023/24 AY, allowing senior secondary school students to pursue VPET-related programme embedded in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) curriculum. Upon completion, students will be awarded, alongside their HKDSE qualification, a DVE(SSC) at QF Level 3, enabling them to apply for relevant higher diploma programmes offered by the VTC. The Project has been extended for three AYs starting from the 2026/27 AY.

 
     As regards apprenticeship training, in view of the persistent shortage of local technical professionals, the Government will continue to promote the Apprenticeship Scheme through the VTC, providing structured apprenticeship training and clear progression pathways. To encourage more young people to join the Scheme and enter the relevant trades, the 2026 Policy Address announced that the provision of an additional monthly training allowance of $1,000 to registered apprentices since 2024-25 will be extended for two years to 2028-29.

Ends/Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:33

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