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Vocational Accreditation
  

 
During the year, the demand for vocational accreditation has increased and the HKCAAVQ has provided accreditation and quality assurance services to the vocational education and training (VET) sector using effective and innovative approaches.

 
     
 
Review and Implementation of New Accreditation Tools

In September 2010, the HKCAAVQ implemented a new set of accreditation tools to streamline our approach and ensure that our approach to vocational accreditation was fit for purpose. Taking into account international good practices and experience gained from the past two years, the HKCAAVQ developed a new three-step set of tools for use by VET operators for accreditation.

The first-step tool is a self-assessment checklist for operators to assess the extent to which they meet the standards for Initial Evaluation (IE) or Programme Validation (PV) before they decide to seek accreditation service. The second-step tool is a list of possible sources of evidence which serves as a reference guide to operators in submitting evidence to meet the IE or PV standards. The third-step tool is an application form stating more clearly what needs to be provided by operators under each IE or PV criterion. All these tools are designed to help VET operators evaluate their readiness for undertaking accreditation and to take them through, step-by-step, the requirements of accreditation.

Between May and July 2010, five focus group meetings with operators, industry specialists and representatives from the Education Bureau (EDB) were held to seek comments on these tools. The feedback was positive and encouraging. With the implementation of these new tools, operators can better understand the IE and PV criteria and standards, and the overall effectiveness of the Secretariat¡¦s service has been greatly enhanced. A review of the effectiveness of this new set of tools will be conducted in 2011 to seek feedback on their use from the VET sector to further improve the accreditation service.

Accreditation of SUS and MDS Courses

A simplified quality assurance process known as sampling approach including sampling exercise and confirmation review was devised to accredit Skills Upgrading Scheme (SUS) and Manpower Development Scheme (MDS) courses managed by the SUS Secretariat and the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) respectively.

During the reporting period, three sampling exercises (one for SUS Automobile courses and two for MDS Entertainment & Performing Arts and Financial Services courses) were completed. As a result, eight Automobile courses, seven Entertainment and Performing Arts courses, and 90 Financial Services courses have entered the Qualifications Register (QR).

To ensure courses listed in the QR continue to meet the QF standards, the HKCAAVQ conducted confirmation reviews of 167 SUS courses in the areas of Hotel, Film & TV Entertainment, Tourism, Retailing, Real Estate Agency, Horticulture, Building Maintenance, Chinese Catering, Automobile, Environmental Hygiene, and 1,140 MDS courses in the areas of Application of Computer Skills, Printing & Publishing, Design, General Business, Real Estate, Tourism, Catering, Health Care, Beauty & Hairdressing, Logistics, Construction, Domestic Services, Property Management, Information and Communications Technology, Social Services. In addition, 569 SUS courses and 1,519 MDS courses have been revalidated with new validity periods ranging from three to four years.

Breakdown of revalidated SUS courses (1 April 2010 ¡V 31 March 2011)



Breakdown of revalidated MDS courses (1 April 2010 ¡V 31 March 2011)



Consultancy for Applied Learning Courses

QA Visits

Applied Learning (ApL) is an integral part of the New Senior Secondary Curriculum introduced to Secondary 5 and 6 students to cater for their diverse learning needs. Commissioned by the Curriculum Development Institute (CDI) of the EDB, the HKCAAVQ has conducted quality assurance visits for 12 ApL courses during the year.

Benchmarking Study

The results of ApL courses will be recorded in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) certificate as ¡§Attained¡¨ and ¡§Attained with Distinction¡¨. Commissioned by the EDB, the HKCAAVQ is currently conducting a study on selected ApL courses to assess if students awarded ¡§Attained¡¨ can be deemed to have performed at a level comparable to the Standard-referenced Reporting of HKDSE at Level 2. The study is scheduled to be completed in June 2011.

Benchmarking Study for Yi Jin Diploma

Under the New Senior Secondary academic structure, a new educational programme known as the ¡§Yi Jin Diploma¡¨ (YJD) based on the existing Project Yi Jin will be put in place starting from the 2012/13 academic year. The YJD seeks to provide an alternate pathway for secondary 6 school leavers and adult learners. The HKCAAVQ was commissioned by the EDB in March 2011 to conduct a benchmarking study to compare the exit standard of the YJD with the attainment of Level 2 in five subjects, including Chinese and English, in the HKDSE. The study is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.

Networking with the Vocational Sector

The HKCAAVQ has worked closely with the Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs), which is a platform set up by the Government for employers, employees, professional bodies and other stakeholders in particular industries to exchange their views on manpower development and to work with EDB to take forward the implementation and use of the QF. During the year, three new ITACs (Retail, Insurance, and Testing, Inspection and Certification) have been set up. The HKCAAVQ continues its representation in the ITACs (16 of them at the moment) as an observer and moderates the Specification of Competency Standards formulated by different ITACs.

The HKCAAVQ has been actively reaching out to key stakeholders in the vocational sector through various briefing sessions with an aim to acquaint them with the latest accreditation criteria and procedures. From June to November 2010, the HKCAAVQ conducted 12 training sessions for the staff of the Employees Retraining Board and the representatives of its training bodies. We also joined hands with the Qualifications Framework Secretariat of the EDB to conduct two briefing sessions for operators in the Beauty Care and Chinese Catering sectors in October 2010 and March 2011 respectively, and introduced to them the Qualifications Guidelines for Specification of Competency Standards (SCS) based programmes and the procedures of collective accreditation. The HKCAAVQ is committed to cultivating close collaboration with industry partners and will continue our efforts in facilitating exchanges with our stakeholders.

 
     
 
Looking Forward

The rising demand for vocational training and lifelong learning in support of Hong Kong¡¦s transformation into a knowledge-based economy has led to a rapid increase in demand for accreditation services from the VET sector. The implementation of the new set of accreditation tools demonstrates the HKCAAVQ¡¦s commitment to delivering effective and innovative services that meet the needs of industries and training providers.

Looking into the future, the HKCAAVQ will continue to explore ways to better meet the expectations of the sector and improve our services by working closely with key stakeholders to enhance their quality assurance capacities.