The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) is formed under the HKCAAVQ Ordinance (Cap 1150), and its Council members are appointed by the Chief Executive of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Following inclusion in 2007 of vocational qualifications in its remit, the Council now comprises members from the academic, vocational training and industry sectors. This is a reflection of the HKCAAVQ's expanded responsibilities across the post-secondary and vocational education sectors. The Council has six members appointed from outside Hong Kong. They come primarily from countries with well-established external quality assurance systems. Non-local members are an invaluable resource as they provide advice and views from around the world, allowing us to ensure that the HKCAAVQ's processes and practices are in line with good international practices. The Council meets formally twice a year with additional informal meetings held among local members.
The work of the Council is supported by three committees: the Qualifications and Accreditation Committee, the Personnel and Administration Committee, and the Finance Committee. The role of each Committee is formulated within their own terms of reference.
During the reporting period, the Council gave considerable attention to the formulation of the Vision and Mission of the HKCAAVQ which were approved in January 2009. Discussions about the Vision and Mission statements focused on ensuring they appropriately express the HKCAAVQ's ambitions for its services and scope of responsibilities. The purpose is to ensure that they can guide both Council members and staff in performing their respective duties.
THE SECRETARIAT
The Council is served by the Secretariat under the leadership of the Executive Director who is an ex-officio member of the Council.
Over the last year a new organisational structure has seen the consolidation of the Secretariat into a new senior executive group comprising Directors and Heads from various divisions, units and offices.
The functional entities of the HKCAAVQ include:
Three operational divisions – Division of Academic Accreditation, Division of Vocational Accreditation and Division of Assessment;
Two facilitating units – Unit of Research, Development and Training, and the QF and QR Unit; and
Two supporting offices – Office of Corporate Services and Office of Corporate Communications.
Prof FAN Yiu Kwan, Executive Director
Ms Dorte KRISTOFFERSEN, Deputy Executive Director
Ms Connie LOK, Director of Accreditation and Assessment
Ms Corinia CHAN, Director of Corporate Services
Ms Julianne WONG, Head and Senior Registrar, Academic Accreditation
Dr Sandra WONG, Head and Senior Registrar, Vocational Accreditation
Mr Jordan CHEUNG, Head and Senior Registrar, Assessment
Ms Susanna LEE, Head and Senior Registrar, Research, Development and Training
Ms Katherine YUNG, Head and Registrar, QF and QR
Ms Marcella CHUI, Head of Corporate Communications
Consultants
The rationale behind the current organisational structure is to allow staff to specialise in a particular area and develop professional strengths and competencies. Furthermore, by allocating functional responsibilities to designated organisational units, we will be able to communicate more effectively and build up longer-term relationships with clients, most of whom will be seeking HKCAAVQ's services in a specific area.
As of end of July 2009, the HKCAAVQ Secretariat comprised a total of 61 full-time staff, most of whom are quality assurance practitioners, seasoned trainers or education professionals. About one-third of staff members are from the education sector.
To further support the Secretariat, three part-time consultants also provide advice in specialised areas including: legal, information technology and industry liaison matters.
Panel Feedback
Since 2007, the Secretariat has sought the views of panel members on the quality of the accreditation exercises that they have played a part in and the services provided by staff members. Feedback from this review mechanism is reported to the Council biannually.
Course Provider Feedback
In January 2008, the Council approved a mechanism for seeking input from course providers who have requested the HKCAAVQ's services over the past year. Input will be sought through questionnaires and the outcomes will be reported to the Council at its regular meetings.
Executive Support, Office of Corporate Services and Office of Corporate Communications
