New Guidelines for Qualifications Assessment
New guidelines for qualifications assessment took effect on 1 April 2011. The updated guidelines place greater emphasis on issues like the location of studies; the origins and the recognition status of transferred credits; and for non-local programmes offered in Hong Kong, the accreditation status of the Hong Kong operators.

INQAAHE Conference 2011
The HKCAAVQ participated in the INQAAHE Conference 2011 in Madrid, Spain, in early April and presented two papers: one on non-local learning programme accreditation in Hong Kong and the other a case study on the capacity building model for reviewers at the HKCAAVQ.

Non-local Programme Accreditation Seminar
With the support of the British Council, the HKCAAVQ conducted a seminar in London to inform operators of the latest developments of its non-local programme (NLP) accreditation services. Issues such as the implications and cost benefits, lessons learnt from the NLP exercises in 2009 and 2010 were shared with the participants from 19 UK universities and colleges.

Qualifications Framework Seminar A briefing seminar was held on 13 May 2011 for operators interested in learning more about the HKCAAVQ's accreditation services underpinning the Qualifications Framework (QF). Representatives from the QF Secretariat also attended the seminar and shared with participants the latest developments of the QF.

Workshop for Operators of Chinese Catering Programmes
A workshop for operators of Chinese Catering programmes was held on 17 May 2011 to introduce to them the HKCAAVQ's newly developed accreditation tools, as well as the Qualifications Guidelines for Specifications of Competency Standards (SCS)-based programmes and the procedures for collective accreditation.

Capability Building for Non-local Programme Providers
The HKCAAVQ organised a workshop and a seminar on non-local programme (NLP) accreditation for operators in the Business Management discipline on 3 and 24 June 2011. Some 70 participants from 13 operators attended to prepare themselves for Initial Evaluation and Programme Validation under the NLP accreditation framework.

2011 HEEACT International Conference
The HKCAAVQ participated in the 2011 Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT) International Conference. As one of the keynote speakers, the Executive Director shared with participants the HKCAAVQ's outcome-based accreditation model and introduced to them the various capacity building and training activities the HKCAAVQ provides for specialists.

Workshop for Property Management Operators
The HKCAAVQ organised a workshop for operators in the Property Management industry on 9 September 2011. The briefing provided operators with an overview of the Qualifications Guidelines for SCS-based courses and outlined procedures for collective accreditation.

Presentation on Assessment for Continuing Education Fund Courses
The HKCAAVQ in partnership with the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions (FCE) delivered a presentation on the assessment service for reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund to FCE member institutions on 10 October 2011. The event was well attended by around 100 participants from 16 institutions.

APQN/INQAAHE Workshop on Good Practices
The HKCAAVQ participated in the APQN/INQAAHE Workshop on Good Practices in Quality Assurance in Tokyo, Japan, on 25 October 2011 to exchange good practices as well as explore transferable practices across member agencies of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

Transnational Education Forum The Deputy Executive Director of the HKCAAVQ provided a progress report on the policy context to promote local accreditation of non-local courses at the Transnational Education Forum: ‘The Road Ahead’, jointly organised by the British Council and the FCE on 27 October 2011.

INQAAHE/ENQA Seminar
The Executive Director of the HKCAAVQ gave a presentation at an international seminar jointly organised by the INQAAHE and the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Brussels, Belgium. The event brought together QA experts from all over the world to explore the themes of global interest.

ADB International Consultative Forum
The HKCAAVQ participated in the International Consultative Forum on Skills for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Asia-Pacific in Manila. The Forum aimed to strengthen the link between policy and practice and to enable interactions between researchers, practitioners, developing country representatives, and the private sector in the area of skills development.

Opening of the Hong Kong Jockey Club College
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) established the HKJC College on 14 January 2012. A total of 14 training courses offered by the HKJC College have been accredited by the HKCAAVQ. It is the first non-tertiary institution and non-professional association in Hong Kong to be accredited to run programmes up to Level 4 in the QF.

Guidelines for Promoting Accredited Programmes
The HKCAAVQ issued Guidelines for Promoting Accredited Programmes to promote good practices among operators and qualifications granting bodies. The Guidelines took effect on 1 February 2012 and provide the industry with practical guidance on information contained in promotional material about programmes accredited by the HKCAAVQ.

Specialists Appointment Ceremony The Specialists Appointment Ceremony was held on 17 February 2012. More than 160 academics, professionals and experts from a range of disciplines and industries attended the Ceremony to celebrate their appointment to serve the HKCAAVQ on accreditation panels and to advise on the latest developments in their respective fields.

2012 APQN Conference
The HKCAAVQ participated in the 2012 APQN Conference and Annual General Meeting in Cambodia and presented a paper on accreditation of Non-local Learning Programmes in Hong Kong. The Deputy Executive Director also co-conducted a workshop with the Malaysian Qualifications Authority on the development of National Qualifications Frameworks.

Staff Attachment Programme An assessor from the Assessment and Certification Division of the Council for Private Education (CPE), Singapore, joined an attachment to the HKCAAVQ in February 2012. The programme included participation in an accreditation exercise as observer to understand the HKCAAVQ's accreditation model and its execution, and a staff forum for sharing of knowledge and practices.

HKCAAVQ Annual Dinner The HKCAAVQ organised an Annual Dinner on 22 March 2012. With the honourable presence of the Permanent Secretary for Education, the gala event was attended by over one hundred guests and staff to celebrate and recognise the contribution of all participants in upholding the quality of education and training in Hong Kong.

Global Policy Dialogue
The HKCAAVQ participated in a Global Policy Dialogue organised by the British Council in Jakarta, Indonesia. The meeting discussed the new Higher Education Act and its implications for local and foreign education providers in Indonesia.