Skilling for the Future (2020 Update)

Our world is changing at an increasingly fast pace. Our cities, nations and regions are experiencing significant changes on all fronts due to technological advances. Against the digitalised backdrop, a growing number of new jobs continue to emerge such as AI specialists, big data analysts, cloud computing specialists, to name a few. This prompts the question of how we predict, adapt and adopt the skills needed in the future. Vocational and professional education and training (VPET) is the answer. VPET enables students, school leavers, in-service workers and job seekers to acquire the professional knowledge, practical skills and appropriate attitudes necessary for today and tomorrow’s world of work. It also plays an indispensable role in nurturing a new generation of skilled workforce for industries, and facilitating the long-term development of the world’s economy. Countries around the world have set their sights on extensive development of VPET. The development of vocational and professional education or applied education has also been progressing at an accelerated pace. In European countries, around 40% to 60% of the youngsters take VPET at the upper secondary level 1 . Like in many developed places, VPET is an integral part of Hong Kong’s education system and plays a pivotal role in preparing young people with skills for life. This book “Skilling for the Future — 2020 Update” gives you an overview of VPET development, particularly its positioning in the new century, current landscape and future prospects in Hong Kong. It is also our wish to learn from our stakeholders and the applied education community worldwide how we can better empower younger generations and give them a brighter and sustainable future. We hope you will find this book enlightening and we welcome your feedback. Note: 1 Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER, State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI (2019). Vocational and Professional Education and Training in Switzerland: Facts and Figures 2019. Biel-Bienne: Gassmann Print; and Our Hong Kong Foundation (2019). Applied Education: A Holistic and Flexible Education System for the Digital Age. 7