[News from Institutions]VTC signs MoU with HKTV becomes first tertiary institution to partner with HKTV to nurture local e-commerce talents

The current e-commerce market is teeming with unlimited business opportunities and “live commerce” has become a widely popular sales model in recent years. The Vocational Training Council (VTC) and Hong Kong Technology Venture Company Limited (HKTV) today (31 January) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This is HKTV’s first MoU with a local tertiary education institution to help Hong Kong ride the wave of digital transformation and e-commerce and establish a sustainable talent supply for the industry.

In recent years, “live commerce” has seen rapid growth. Driven by over 3.37 million livestream hosts, the e-commerce sales volume in Mainland China reached RMB1.98 trillion during the first three quarters of 2023. To align with the current market trend, Hong Kong’s industry has been actively investing resources and training talents in “live commerce”. Given that live commerce sales activities incorporated a variety of skills, such as marketing management, digital technology, finance and smart logistics, practitioners need multi-disciplinary know-how to leverage development opportunities.

Through this MoU, VTC and HKTV will collaborate on “live commerce” talents training programmes, in which the live streaming expert practitioners from HKTVmall, HKTV’s 24-hour online shopping mall, will provide workshops and seminars for students of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)’s Higher Diploma programmes in Business Discipline. The training activities will be integrated into the discipline common module “Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship”. Topics to be covered include the Hong Kong e-commerce ecosystem and the live streaming production process on “HKTVLive” platform. The “HKVTC Shop Keep On Live Competition” launched last year with an aim to enhance the knowledge and practical skills of VTC and secondary school students on e-commerce and live streaming, will be held again in 2024 with the full support from HKTV in organising and promoting the Competition. The Competition provides a unique opportunity beyond conventional classes for students to acquire and exercise e-commerce business operation and digital marketing skills.

With HKTVmall's successful experience and expertise in operating online shopping mall, VTC students from Business Discipline can also participate in the production of the live commerce events on "HKTVLive” Shopping Channel through a project-based learning approach, spanning VTC's e-commerce platform, the HKVTC Shop, and showcasing a range of products designed and produced by VTC students and graduates. Meanwhile, under VTC’s Workplace Learning and Assessment (WLA) framework, internship opportunities at HKTVmall and other merchants will be provided to students, offering hands-on experience in digital marketing executions and e-commerce operations. Through immersing themselves in the e-commerce ecosystem, students will acquire practical knowledge and skills which lay a sound foundation for pursuing a career in the industry. The collaboration will also cover workshops for VTC’s teaching staff in the Business Discipline to keep them abreast of the latest developments in live commerce.

The MoU Signing Ceremony was held at the IVE (Kwun Tong) today. The MoU was signed by VTC Deputy Executive Director Alaina SHUM and HKTV Chief Executive Officer (Hong Kong) Jelly ZHOU, and witnessed by VTC Executive Director Donald TONG and HKTV Group Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Alice WONG. Prior to the signing ceremony, an IVE student of Higher Diploma in Public Relations and Communication Management, livestreamed a shopping session to the guests under the guidance of Kelly LIN, an e-commerce livestream host of “HKTVLive”,  to feature a Chinese tableware set “Yuen Sek” which was designed by Alvin LIU, a graduate of Higher Diploma in Product Design programme at Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) and won the Best of the Best Award of “Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2021”, one of the world's three major design awards. “Yuen Sek” was currently on sale at HKVTC Shop.

VTC Executive Director Donald TONG said at the ceremony that in this rapidly changing digital era, ever-evolving technology continuously shaped new patterns in business and lifestyle. It had also become the engine to promote societal progress and economic growth. Taking e-commerce as an example, with the continuous innovation and rapid development in technology, it had given rise to interactive sales models which combined entertainment and shopping “live commerce”. This not only transformed the retail landscape and consumer shopping habits in Hong Kong but also became a new driving force for the profit growth of many traditional businesses. In the latest Policy Address, it was mentioned that the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau would establish the inter-departmental E-commerce Development Task Force to implement policies assisting Hong Kong's SMEs in developing e-commerce business on the Mainland. It was expected that more companies would allocate resources to develop their e-commerce businesses, leading to an increased demand for relevant talents.

HKTV Chief Executive Officer (Hong Kong) Jelly ZHOU said, “The Group is committed to nurturing talents in e-commerce and technology, actively driving the digital development of the retail industry in Hong Kong. We are delighted to collaborate with VTC and aim to share online marketing techniques and past experiences while allowing students to directly participate in live streaming production. This will enable them to grasp the essentials of e-commerce operations, unleash their potential, and lay a solid foundation for cultivating future e-commerce elites.”

In order to better prepare students to face the opportunities and challenges brought about by technology, VTC will continue to explore collaboration opportunities with corporations so as to equip students with professional knowledge and cutting-edge skills in e-commerce. Such efforts will help nurture industry talents while promoting a live streaming culture.

About Vocational Training Council（VTC）
Established in 1982, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) is the largest vocational and professional education and training provider in Hong Kong. The mission of VTC is to provide a valued choice to school leavers and working people to acquire the values, knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and enhanced employability, and also to provide support to industries for their manpower development. VTC has 14 member institutions, namely the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), the Institute of Professional Education And Knowledge (PEAK), the School for Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE), the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT),  the Hotel and Tourism Institute (HTI),  the Chinese Culinary Institute (CCI), the International Culinary Institute (ICI), the Maritime Services Training Institute (MSTI), Youth College, Pro-Act by VTC, the Integrated Vocational Development Centre (IVDC) and the Shine Skills Centre.

Website: www.vtc.edu.hk

About HKTV 
Hong Kong Technology Venture Company Limited is a Hong Kong listed company (SEHK: 1137).

Established in 1992, the Group has extensive and successful experience in telecom market liberalization and popularizing advanced technology and applications. HKTVmall is the largest 24-hour online shopping mall in Hong Kong and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Technology Venture Company Limited. HKTVmall provides one-stop shop services including online shopping, marketing & digital advertising, big data analysis, smart logistics & fulfilment as well as physical O2O stores, and to transform all business operations, trading, retail, finance and daily life onto a single digital online platform to establish a unique digital ecosystem.

The Group has set up another business in 2020 – Shoalter Technology Limited – a technology provider on eCommerce solutions aiming to enable any traditional supermarkets or retailers locally and globally to enter into digital retailing successfully. For more information, visit: www.hktv.com.hk 

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