Bringing in Global Insight and Establishing New Partnerships
VTC endeavours to build an extensive network of partners with government departments, vocational education institutions, and the industry heavyweights across the globe to deepen mutual understanding and develop sustainable partnerships. We maintain close ties with different consulates in Hong Kong through key personnel exchanges and visits at different levels, including the Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong and Macao, the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong, and the Australian Consulate General in Hong Kong, and we are very honored to invite them to speak as guests, bringing our staff and students with valuable information and knowledge about vocational and professional education and training (VPET), religion, tourism and economic development of various countries.
Whilst strengthening existing associations, we actively pursue and welcome new connections. Thailand is a country that the VTC has collaborated closely with in recent years. For example, the VTC has extended its partnership with the Panyapiwat Institute of Management (PIM) to provide non-local Industrial Attachment opportunities for our students to gain first-hand industry experience and market knowledge in Thailand, deepening and widening their horizons, and equipping them better for future challenges and career development. After the first year’s positive results, the number of IA places offered has been doubled in 2020, the second year.
The Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) International Conference
Jointly organised by the Education Bureau of The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the VTC, the VPET International Conference serves as a platform for academia and industry leaders from different countries and regions to share the latest developments and trends of VPET. The first digital VPET International Conference in Hong Kong was held on 15 May 2020, featuring 25 experts and scholars from Europe, America, Asia and Hong Kong – all exploring the issues surrounding the future of VPET and skills development. Themed “Skilling for the Future”, VPET International Conference 2020 made use of the latest technology to provide a borderless platform and engage viewers from 50 countries to explore ideas on VPET and skills development in the new age, garnering over 10,000 online views.
VTC-ITE International Student Seminar (ISS)
Riding on the long-term partnership, VTC has been cooperating with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) of Singapore since 2007 to jointly organise the biennial VTC-ITE International Student Seminar. Taking place in Hong Kong and Singapore alternately, the seminar provides students with an international exchange platform to share views on global issues and enrich their perspectives through a diversified scale of activities including presentations, exhibitions, performance and cultural/ industrial visits. Over the past twelve years, seven episodes have been conducted where over 4,200 students and teachers from both institutes attended. The coming episode of the ISS will be hosted by the ITE in Singapore in 2022.
WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition
Hong Kong is a member of the WorldSkills International (WSI) and has participated in the WorldSkills Competition since 1997. In Hong Kong, Skills Competitions are organised by The Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition (YSC), comprising representatives from the Vocational Training Council, the Construction Industry Council, the Clothing Industry Training Authority and elites from industries, which have been actively promoting the importance of skills and organising various local and regional skills competitions to identify suitable talents to participate in the WorldSkills Competitions.
The 45th WorldSkills Competition was held in August 2019 in Kazan, Russia. The event attracted over 1,300 young professionals from 63 countries and regions who competed in 56 skills. A total of 24 competitors represented Hong Kong in 22 skills this year and Hong Kong Team has brought home with Medallions for Excellence in 11 trades, the highest-ever number, including Cooking, Electrical Installations, Graphic Design Technology, Hairdressing, Jewellery, Mechatronics, Mobile Robotics, Pâtisserie and Confectionery, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Visual Merchandising, and Web Technologies. The 46th WorldSkills Competition will take place in September 2021 in Shanghai.
International STEM Students’ Forum
The International STEM Students’ Forum provides a platform for STEM students and teachers in higher education from different parts of the world to exchange knowledge and innovative ideas. The International STEM Students’ Forum 2020 was held online on 16 May 2020. The Forum gathered industry leaders and STEM students and graduates from different countries and regions to discuss a number of topics such as the trends for STEM careers, the demand for STEM skills in the workplace, and the challenges and opportunities for STEM start-ups. What’s more, a line-up of STEM student teams formed by VTC STEM students and their peers from the UK, Japan, Singapore, Australia and Thailand presented their collaborative applied research outcomes at the online Forum. A student team formed by the National Institute of Technology, Kumamoto College, Japan and the Engineering Discipline of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) showcased their co-developed AI “self-parking system”. Another team consisting of students from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) introduced their research on developing new probiotic food products referencing various uses of probiotics in British and Hong Kong diets.