Wong Kam-fai: Adviser focuses on GBA’s education and human resource integration
日期：2024-03-15来源：
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By Liu Yifan
Promoting the mobility of the skilled labor force within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can help alleviate Hong Kong’s talent shortage and support its drive to become a global innovation and technology hub, said tech guru and national political adviser William Wong Kam-fai.
Wong, a Hong Kong member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—the country’s top political advisory body—proposed during this year’s two sessions strengthening cross-border education ties, specifically through vocational training programs. He suggested that the Vocational Training Council—Hong Kong’s largest vocational and professional education and training provider—set up vocational training branches in the Chinese mainland cities within the GBA, with graduates from these branches being eligible to seek employment in Hong Kong.
In Wong’s view, an influx of technical workers with hands-on experience would be beneficial to Hong Kong, which is grappling with a shortage of professionals across sectors that are critical to its pursuit of new growth drivers.
While Hong Kong’s GDP grew by a weaker-than-expected 3.2% in 2023 from a contraction a year ago, diversifying the city’s economy beyond its traditional financial prowess is high on local officials’ agenda, with the innovation and technology sector leading the charge.
However, a downward trend in its working population has sparked concerns over the city’s prospects. Official data showed a decrease of 12,800 in the labor force and 9,800 in total employment in the November-to-January period from the preceding threemonth period.
To trawl for the brightest minds outside Hong Kong, the SAR government has announced a string of measures, such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme, which offers visas to qualified high-income earners and top university graduates.
Apart from top talent, there is also a labor shortage affecting middle-tier occupations in sectors such as information technology, electrical and mechanical engineering, construction, aviation, maritime, and logistics, said Wong.
To address this situation, Wong highlighted the unique role of the GBA in the country’s development,
saying the 86-millionstrong region boasts an abundant talent pool that is poised to rev up Hong Kong’s growth engine alongside workers with technical know-how.
“Many young people in GBA mainland cities aspire to have quality jobs; on the other hand, Hong Kong is still in need of engineers and other technical professionals. So why not integrate and collaborate on this front between the two sides?” Wong said.
“Talent cultivation” has been a primary task for Wong, who is also a member of the Hong KongLegislative Council and an associate dean of the faculty of engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Cross-border collaboration has borne fruit in tertiary education as several universities in Hong Kong have expanded their presence in the mainland GBA cities.
A case in point is the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which opened a new campus in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, in 2022. Students studying at the Guangzhou campus are eligible to apply for working visas in the SAR.
Wong said a similar move in vocational training would help complement Hong Kong’s efforts to woo talent, and would also enable more mainland graduates to obtain internationally recognized certificates under the SAR’s developed training system.“
This will also open a new door for the mainland’s younger generation's global vision," he added.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.
Wong Kam-fai: Adviser focuses on GBA’s education and human resource integration
紫荆
2024-03-15 16:58
2024-03-15 16:58
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By Liu Yifan
Promoting the mobility of the skilled labor force within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area can help alleviate Hong Kong’s talent shortage and support its drive to become a global innovation and technology hub, said tech guru and national political adviser William Wong Kam-fai.
Wong, a Hong Kong member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference—the country’s top political advisory body—proposed during this year’s two sessions strengthening cross-border education ties, specifically through vocational training programs. He suggested that the Vocational Training Council—Hong Kong’s largest vocational and professional education and training provider—set up vocational training branches in the Chinese mainland cities within the GBA, with graduates from these branches being eligible to seek employment in Hong Kong.
In Wong’s view, an influx of technical workers with hands-on experience would be beneficial to Hong Kong, which is grappling with a shortage of professionals across sectors that are critical to its pursuit of new growth drivers.
While Hong Kong’s GDP grew by a weaker-than-expected 3.2% in 2023 from a contraction a year ago, diversifying the city’s economy beyond its traditional financial prowess is high on local officials’ agenda, with the innovation and technology sector leading the charge.
However, a downward trend in its working population has sparked concerns over the city’s prospects. Official data showed a decrease of 12,800 in the labor force and 9,800 in total employment in the November-to-January period from the preceding threemonth period.
To trawl for the brightest minds outside Hong Kong, the SAR government has announced a string of measures, such as the Top Talent Pass Scheme, which offers visas to qualified high-income earners and top university graduates.
Apart from top talent, there is also a labor shortage affecting middle-tier occupations in sectors such as information technology, electrical and mechanical engineering, construction, aviation, maritime, and logistics, said Wong.
To address this situation, Wong highlighted the unique role of the GBA in the country’s development,
saying the 86-millionstrong region boasts an abundant talent pool that is poised to rev up Hong Kong’s growth engine alongside workers with technical know-how.
“Many young people in GBA mainland cities aspire to have quality jobs; on the other hand, Hong Kong is still in need of engineers and other technical professionals. So why not integrate and collaborate on this front between the two sides?” Wong said.
“Talent cultivation” has been a primary task for Wong, who is also a member of the Hong KongLegislative Council and an associate dean of the faculty of engineering at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Cross-border collaboration has borne fruit in tertiary education as several universities in Hong Kong have expanded their presence in the mainland GBA cities.
A case in point is the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which opened a new campus in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, in 2022. Students studying at the Guangzhou campus are eligible to apply for working visas in the SAR.
Wong said a similar move in vocational training would help complement Hong Kong’s efforts to woo talent, and would also enable more mainland graduates to obtain internationally recognized certificates under the SAR’s developed training system.“
This will also open a new door for the mainland’s younger generation's global vision," he added.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.
