The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) again joins the Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education (FSTE) as an Associate Organiser of the annual conference to be held on 1 June 2018. Professor Anthony Cheung will speak to the theme of this year’s conference “Striving for Quality Education”, followed by concurrent sessions of a wide range of presentations.  Higher Education is becoming a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-based society.  The maintenance of standards and the overall quality of education provisions is of pivotal importance and has been a recurring concern in the society. Providing affordable programmes in a self-financing environment requires self-financing institutions to find an appropriate balance between quality and cost-effectiveness. In response to the concern, this Conference aims to examine relevant issues and facilitate the interflow of good practices among stakeholders. The conference will be held at PolyU Hung Hom Bay Campus. Online Registration can be done via the FSTE conference website. For details, please visit the conference website at https://www.fste.edu.hk/conference/2018/index. 

Accreditation service for online learning programmes has been launched. Click here to view more. 

Revised Accreditation Standards under the Four-stage QA Process uploaded. Click here to view more.

The HKCAAVQ is appointed as the QR (Qualifications Register) Authority under the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance (Cap 592) to maintain the QR – the free web-based database carrying the qualifications recognised under the Qualifications Framework.  The statistics of the QR as of 13 March 2018 is as below: - Qualifications Facts and Figures for March 2018  

Ir Dr Alex Chan, HKCAAVQ Chairman, was invited as one of the international speakers at the Indonesian Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (IABEE) International Seminar on Quality of Engineers in Jakarta, Indonesia on 13 March, 2018. The international seminar, which took place at JS Luwansa Hotel Jakarta, attracted around 200 government officials, professionals, and representatives from higher education institutions in the region and around the world. The Chairman of Institution of Engineers Indonesia (Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia, PII) Dr Hermanto Dardak delivered his keynote speech.  Guests also witnessed the ceremony of IABEE Inauguration and Accreditation Certificate Handover at this event.  The event was addressed by representatives of Minister, Economic Affairs, Embassy of Japan; Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education, Indonesia; and Ministry of Industry, Indonesia. On behalf of HKCAAVQ, Ir Dr Alex Chan, also the former Chair of International Professional Engineers Agreement (2014-2017), delivered a presentation titled “Education and Training in Hong Kong and the Region” during the panel discussion at the seminar. During the presentation, he introduced the education and training system in Hong Kong, gave an overview on the development and impact of the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF) as well as the national and international collaboration initiatives that enhance the recognition of HKQF internationally and facilitate referencing of qualifications between Hong Kong and other jurisdictions. At the end of his presentation, Dr Chan also highlighted the city’s recent development on vocational and professional education and training (VPET), and the growing prominence of VPET in the education and employment of the younger generation. For details of the seminar, please refer to the official website. Group photo featuring international speakers, higher education and industry representatives attending the International Seminar on Quality of Engineers in Jakarta on 13 March, 2018.  Photo featuring Ir Heru Dewanto (left), President-elect of Institution of Engineers Indonesia (Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia), and Ir Dr Alex Chan (right), Chairman of HKCAAVQ.

Please be advised that the fee schedule for assessment of CPD programme under the IIQAS will be adjusted with effect from 1 September 2018.    The Revised Fee Schedule for different types of CPD assessment is as follows:- The new “Guidance Notes for Assessment of CPD programme” replacing the current “Assessment Criteria” with the above Revised Fee Schedule will also be made available on our CPD (IA) programmes webpage this August.   For enquiries, please contact Ms. Cherie Lau, Executive Officer, Vocational and Professional Accreditation on 3658 0176 or by email at cherielau@hkcaavq.edu.hk. 

The HKCAAVQ is appointed as the QR (Qualifications Register) Authority under the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance (Cap 592) to maintain the QR – the free web-based database carrying the qualifications recognised under the Qualifications Framework.  The statistics of the QR as of 13 February 2018 is as below: - Qualifications Facts and Figures for February 2018 

The consultation on the Draft Revisions to Accreditation Standards under the Four-stage Quality Assurance Process was completed on 31 August 2017. As a response to the consultation, HKCAAVQ has published a Summary of Findings on its website. The Summary of Findings is now available under Review of Standards section for reference.

The latest HKCAAVQ Newsletter (Issue 13) has been published. This newsletter provides information on news and events relating to HKCAAVQ and its areas of work in the past four months. Please click here to read our newsletter.

HKCAAVQ announced today (26 January) that the Deputy Executive Director (Academic), Mr Robert Fearnside will act as Executive Director with immediate effect until the newly appointed Executive Director, Mr Chow Hing Pong Albert takes office on 3 April 2018. The contact of the Secretariat is available on HKCAAVQ website. 

I first joined HKCAAVQ in October 2007. I joined an organisation in transition, in transition to support a major policy initiative in Hong Kong – the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework. The impact on HKCAAVQ was significant as its services were being expanded to vocational operators and HKCAAVQ was also being appointed as the Qualifications Register Authority. In these early years after the launch of the QF, we were all learning what an outcomes-based learning environment meant and how it affected our quality assurance processes. All stakeholders were learning together and seeking answers to a number of questions that unavoidably arise when new initiatives are introduced. These were valuable experiences that helped not only HKCAAVQ but also operators get used to and improve in a new environment. It was exciting times until I left at the end of 2009 where we re-structured the Secretariat, we developed our processes, we established contact with new clients and we hired new staff to meet the increasing demand for our services. In 2014 I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to come back to Hong Kong and HKCAAVQ. Although the quality assurance arrangements had not changed, the environment for quality assurance had matured and grown and new policy initiatives had been introduced, such as the ATS, QF credit and CAT, a large number of vocational operators had now gone through accreditation, new developments in the accreditation approach had been introduced, such as the publication of summary reports, the number of degree granting colleges had grown and the accreditation of non-local programmes had been formalised. The appetite for education had not slowed and institutions and policy makers were seeking to introduce new initiatives to feed this appetite. The last three years have therefore been busy. Our focus has been on ensuring that we on the one hand offer quality services and support our operators in the delivery of quality education to all learners of Hong Kong, and on the other hand strengthen HKCAAVQ’s reputation as a nationally and globally recognised quality assurance body. We have launched a number of initiatives that will hopefully provide a solid platform for quality assurance activities in the coming years, in particular the launch of revised accreditation standards. And we reached an important milestone with the external review of HKCAAVQ in 2015 that concluded that we align substantially with the Guidelines of Good Practice developed by the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies for Higher Education. By the time of my departure at the end of January 2018, I had spent more than 5 years with HKCAAVQ. They have been among the most rewarding years of my career as I have seen an agency and a self-financed sector grow in strength and a commitment to systematic quality assurance being implemented in order to assure the provision of quality education to students. I want to take this opportunity to thank our operators, specialists and local and international partners for their support and collaboration. I have been privileged to have dedicated and hard-working staff who share a passion for quality education. Last, but not least I have been fortunate to enjoy the full support of the HKCAAVQ Council. I am forever grateful for this opportunity. Dorte Kristoffersen Executive Director Nov 2015 – Jan 2018

HKCAAVQ has published its Annual Report for year 2016/17. The report, themed “Shaping the Future”, has outlined the HKCAAVQ’s work including highlights of the year, report from Executive Director, as well as operational review of various services offered by the Secretariat. Financial report, covering period from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, is also included in the Annual Report. The digital version of the Annual Report is now available on HKCAAVQ website.