The HKCAAVQ participated in the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) 2013 Conference held in Taipei on 6-8 April 2013 to share its quality assurance processes and practices. During the conference, the HKCAAVQ presented a country paper about its history and contribution to quality assurance in Hong Kong. The HKCAAVQ was awarded the inaugural APQN Quality Awards in the category of International Focus at the Conference.

A focus group meeting was held in April 2013 for accredited Non-local Learning Programme (NLP) operators to share their experiences of the streamlined process for NLP accreditation. In the same session, operators provided further feedback on proposed revisions to the NLP guidelines and the associated tools.

A delegation from the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center visited the HKCAAVQ on 23 April 2013. The meeting enhanced a greater understanding of higher education developments and the quality assurance work of both agencies. It also paved the way for future collaboration in cooperative research on qualifications frameworks.

The HKCAAVQ organised a sharing session on the use of QF credit on 29 April 2013 and invited an operator to share their practical experience with staff. The fruitful exchange deepened our understanding of the practices used in the assignment of credits in different institutions.

The HKCAAVQ and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australian Government, entered into a Memorandum of Co-operation to enhance collaboration between the two agencies in quality assurance of higher education. The signing ceremony between Prof Yiu-Kwan Fan, then Executive Director of the HKCAAVQ, and Ms Dorte Kristoffersen, Commissioner of TEQSA, witnessed by Ms Michelle Li, Deputy Secretary for Education, and Mr. Paul Tighe, Australian Consul-General Hong Kong, took place at the HKCAAVQ office on 30 April 2013.

The HKCAAVQ participated in the Qualifications Framework (QF) Stakeholders Forum jointly organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Qualifications Framework Secretariat (QFS) on 29 May 2013 to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the establishment of QF. The Forum provided an opportunity for stakeholders from different sectors to exchange views and comments on the development and implementation of QF.

A delegation from the Guangdong Department of Education and six vocational institutions from Guangdong visited the HKCAAVQ on 24 July 2013. The meeting exchanged information on the quality assurance system for post-secondary vocational programmes and the articulation pathways to bachelor degree programmes in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

The HKCAAVQ organised the Annual Briefing on Accreditation for operators on 30 August 2013. The event was well attended by some 100 representatives from academic and vocational operators. At the briefing, the HKCAAVQ shared with participants the action taken in response to the operators’ feedback collected via the annual Operators’ Survey. The event also provided a platform to exchange views on our services for continuous improvement.

The HKCAAVQ and the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT) signed a MoC on 5 September 2013 to establish a collaborative relationship between the two agencies. The MoC was signed by Prof William Lee, Executive Director of HKCAAVQ, and Prof Ru-Jer Wang, Executive Director of HEEACT, at HEEACT’s office in Taipei.

A delegation from the Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA), Malaysia, visited the HKCAAVQ on 3 October 2013. The meeting enabled a better understanding of the role of both agencies in quality assurance and paved the way for future collaboration.

A delegation from the EDB, QF Secretariat and the HKCAAVQ visited the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) in Wellington, New Zealand, from 21 to 23 October 2013. The study tour enhanced understanding of and confidence in each other’s quality assurance and qualifications recognition processes. The delegation also explored opportunities for future cooperation between Hong Kong and New Zealand.

A delegation from the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Guizhou Province visited the HKCAAVQ on 29 October 2013. The meeting introduced accreditation and assessment of vocational education and training in Hong Kong, as well as the HKCAAVQ’s role in supporting manpower development in Hong Kong to the delegation.

A delegation from the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education visited the HKCAAVQ on 11 November 2013. The delegation of pro-vice chancellors and deans from UK universities, explored issues and trends in the regulation and quality assurance of transnational education in Hong Kong with HKCAAVQ staff.

The HKCAAVQ, with the support of the EDB, organised a briefing for operators on 29 November 2013 on the latest developments in the QF and the Qualifications Register (QR), including the progress of implementing the Award Titles Scheme and Use of QF Credit, and the introduction of the revamped QR website. The event was well attended by over 220 representatives from both the self-accrediting and the non-selfaccrediting sectors.

The HKCAAVQ shared with stakeholders the preparation for and processes of accreditation in the Sharing Session for the Retail Industry organised by the QF Secretariat, the Retail Industry Training Advisory Committee (ITAC) and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association on 4 December 2013 for launching the Specification of Competency Standards (SCS) for the Retail industry.

The HKCAAVQ participated in a press briefing organised by EDB to announce the launch of the revamped QR website and another new website, named Concourse, for the self-financing post-secondary education sector on 23 December 2013. The revamp of the QR website resulted in significant enhancements and improvements in content, functions and organisation, making the site more convenient for the public to browse and use, especially to search and save relevant information about qualifications and programmes.

The Specialists Appointment Ceremony was held on 17 January 2014. Over 50 Specialists attended the ceremony to celebrate their appointment and meet together. The Ceremony began with welcoming remarks by the Vice-Chairman Dr Alex Chan, followed by an address given by Ms Pecvin Yong, Principal Assistant Secretary (Further Education) of EDB, in recognition of the Specialists’ support to the HKCAAVQ. During the ceremony, the participants were also given a presentation on the latest developments of the HKCAAVQ.

The HKCAAVQ organised a sharing session on the assignment of QF credits and invited HKU SPACE to share their practical experience and views on some case studies with staff. The forum was a fruitful exchange of views and practices on how QF credit assignment should be conducted.

The HKCAAVQ won the APQN Quality Award in the category of training and support of reviewers. It is the second year in a row that the HKCAAVQ was awarded a APQN Quality Award. The Award recognised the HKCAAVQ’s contributions to training and support of reviewers locally and regionally and its development of sound and effective materials for training.

A talk entitled “An Overview of the Applicable Provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance” was given by HKCAAVQ internal legal consultant on 14 March 2014 .

The HKCAAVQ attended a forum entitled ‘Quality Beyond Boundaries – A Dubai Initiative for International Branch Campuses’ held in Dubai on 24-25 March 2014. The forum provided an opportunity to exchange and share ideas with representatives from international quality assurance agencies on the challenges of the International Branch Campus model. The forum aimed to establish a common set of agreed principles for future international cooperation.