The HKCAAVQ supports the development of the Qualifications
Framework (QF) to expand the scope of accreditation and
assessment service to the vocational education and training (VET)
sector, and facilitate the participation of operators, professional
bodies, as well as employers in the quality assurance process.
Accreditation Service for the VET sector
In the reporting year, the HKCAAVQ completed 28 Initial Evaluation
(IE) and 127 Programme Validations (PV) for VET operators from
various sectors including public organisations, education/training
institutes, professional bodies, non-governmental organisations, trade
associations, and commercial corporations of different scales. In the
same year, 653 programmes were also operated by the Vocational
Training Council (VTC) under their Programme Area Accreditation
(PAA) status.
Breakdown of vocational programmes validated (1 April 2012 - 31 March 2013)
Using the fitness for purpose approach, the HKCAAVQ accredited
a wide spectrum of programmes including pre-employment training,
in-house training, in-service training and professional development
programmes, ranging from QF Levels 1-6, catering for the manpower
development and advancement of major industries in Hong Kong.
Since the launch of the QF in 2008, the HKCAAVQ has witnessed
an unprecedented growth of the vocational education and training
sector. This year the HKCAAVQ accredited five programmes for
Professional Banking Qualifications of The Hong Kong Institute of
Bankers. These learning programmes are the very first non-academic
programmes at QF Levels 4-6 accredited by the HKCAAVQ. The
recognition of these learning programmes represents a major
development for the QF and the banking industry.
In 2012/13, there has also been active participation from industry
in accreditation. During the reporting year, the Council accredited
18 in-house training programmes operated in seven commercial
corporations belonging to various industry sectors, such as property
management, automobile services and retail.
Another new initiative is the collaboration of industry and schools
in developing training programmes for secondary school students.
The first of this kind was the programme offered by the Hong Kong
Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association for students in the six
participating schools.
Quality Assurance Services
Since the implementation of the QF in 2008, the Education Bureau
has formed 19 Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITAC)
for various industries with a view to developing industry-based
Specification of Competency Standards (SCS). In the development of
the SCSs, the HKCAAVQ acts as the moderator. During the year, the
HKCAAVQ moderated the draft SCSs for the Logistics, Banking, and
Import and Export industries.
Operators are encouraged to develop SCS-based programmes by
adopting the relevant Units of Competencies specified in the SCS.
During the year, HKCAAVQ validated 29 SCS-based programmes for
the Beauty Care, Hairdressing, Automotive, Jewellery and Property
Management industries.
As at March 2013, there are 178 SCS-based programmes (QF Levels
1 – 4) covering 12 industries on the Qualifications Register (QR).
Breakdown of SCS-based programmes (QF Levels 1 – 4) on the QR
Apart from accrediting programmes of a
specific nature, the HKCAAVQ also plays
an important role in the quality assurance
of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
under the QF. The RPL mechanism
enables employees of various industries
to receive formal recognition of the
knowledge, skills and experience they
have acquired over time. To date, there
are seven industries, namely Printing &
Publishing, Hairdressing, Watch & Clock,
Property Management, Automotive,
Jewellery and Logistics, with the RPL
mechanism already set up. In the reporting
period, the Council has accredited the
Assessment Agency under the RPL
scheme for two more industries, namely
the Beauty and the Chinese Catering
industries.
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In the school sector, the HKCAAVQ continues to be commissioned
by the Education Bureau to conduct the quality assurance study to
ensure the quality of the Applied Learning (ApL) courses. During the
reporting period, quality assurance visits were conducted to 12 ApL
courses which were delivered by eight different course providers in
the tertiary education sector. In addition, a total of 15 panel meetings
were convened to review the self evaluation reports submitted by the
course providers on the 30 ApL courses offered for the 2010-2012
cohort.
Assessment of CPD Programmes
To further enhance the assessment service of the Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) programmes for the insurance
industry and Estate Agents Authority (EAA), improvement measures
were introduced to minimise the average processing time without
compromising quality of the assessment service. The improvement
measures were well received by the operators and the average
processing time for the CPD applications for the Insurance Authority
(IA) was shortened significantly.
During the reporting period, 89 new applications, 246 annual
re-assessment and 188 change of course applications were
processed under the Insurance Intermediaries Scheme. Compared
to the previous reporting period, there was a growth of 12% for
the annual re-assessment applications but a fall of 17% and 9% in
new applications and change of course applications respectively. In
the Estate Agents Authority CPD Scheme, nine new applications,
58 annual re-assessments and two changes of applications were
assessed, which represented an annual increase of 2% for the annual
re-assessment applications but a decline of 18% and 60% in other
two areas respectively as compared to figures in previous reporting
period.
Breakdown of assessed CPD programmes for IA and EAA (1 April 2012 - 31 March 2013)
Enhancement of Services
For the purposes of increased transparency and alignment with the
practice of other quality assurance agencies, the HKCAAVQ has
decided to adopt a step-by-step approach to publishing accreditation
outcomes for public access.
During December 2012 and January 2013, the Council conducted
three consultation sessions to collect feedback from operators on the
publication of accreditation reports. Seventy-four representatives from
53 operators attended the consultation sessions. There was general
consensus that the publication of summary reports can increase the
transparency of the accreditation process.
For Initial Evaluation (IE) and Programme Validation (PV) of local
programmes (except for purely in-house training programmes) with
contracts signed on or after 1 March 2013, summary accreditation
reports will be published for public access on the HKCAAVQ website.
Feedback will be collected from public users through an online
survey, and a review will be conducted after one year.
Looking Forward
The Chief Executive in his 2013 Policy Address has pledged to foster
more collaboration between ITACs and operators with a view to
linking education, training and employment through new QF-related
initiatives. The HKCAAVQ welcomes such initiatives, in particular the
development of the SCS-based training packages and supporting
materials.
The HKCAAVQ will continue to reach out to its stakeholders to
facilitate exchange and promote quality assurance in the VET sector.
In addition to the development of accreditation service for industries,
the HKCAAVQ will continue its support to the school sector.
Facing the increasing diversity and demand for accreditation services
in the VET sector, the HKCAAVQ endeavours to uphold its dual roles
as “gate-opener” and “gate-keeper” in the advocacy of vocational
education and lifelong learning in Hong Kong.