The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently, pledging to jointly groom more InnoTalent in media design, immersive technologies, visual production and related disciplines for Hong Kong.
Through the provision of internships and on-the-job training programmes, the collaboration aims to strengthen the local digital talent pool and inject new impetus into the innovation and technology (I&T) industry, enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong and broadening the horizons of the young generation. It was witnessed by several high-level individuals from HKPC and HKSYU.
The Chairman of HKPC stated that as a bridge between the industry and the education sector, as well as a promoter of I&T, HKPC has been striving to expand the local research talent pool to address talent shortages in Hong Kong, and at the same time cooperate with the HKSAR Government in promoting the long-term development of I&T and the support from the National 14th Five-Year Plan for Hong Kong to be an international I&T hub. He added that in the era of digitalisation, learning technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, big data, and robotics is the general trend. To prepare for the future, young people must master these ‘FutureSkills’.
This MoU will not only give full play to the advantages of the Department of Journalism and Communication of HKSYU in the cultivation of elites and resources but also demonstrate the experience and support of the HKPC in the field of I&T, to enhance the I&T knowledge and skills of HKSYU students.
Meanwhile, the Vice President (University Administration) of HKSYU noted that as the first private university in Hong Kong, Shue Yan University has been moving with the times all along. In this Digital Era, the initiative is aimed at ‘reinventing liberal arts education and promoting digital humanities and actively integrating all kinds of digital technology into our programmes.
Through knowledge transfer, work placements and vocationally oriented experiential learning, we strive to nurture the new generation of innovative experts to meet the long-term development of Hong Kong. The MOU reached between HKSYU’s Department of Journalism and Communication and HKPC aims to strengthen the university’s industrial attachment and liaisons with Government departments as well as launch more collaborations and projects that benefit students and all.
Under the collaboration, HKPC will offer internships for HKSYU students studying Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Journalism and Mass Communication and Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Media Design and Immersive Technology. Through work-based learning and internships, the students can hone their skills and knowledge, and acquire hands-on experience through various visual production, media communication, and other related projects.
In addition, they will be invited to conduct projects in metaverse-related technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality to gain practice-based exposure as well as learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. In return, the Department of Journalism and Communication of HKSYU will organise training workshops and seminars for HKPC experts to learn how to explain their I&T treasures more concretely and effectively to the media, academia, the business sector and the public, to create synergies.
