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Commerce and Industry

technical advice on standards-related matters. The bureau represents the HKSAR in regional and international standardisation bodies and acts as Hong Kong's Enquiry Point and Notification Authority under the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

Human Resources, Vocational Education and Training

The knowledge-based economy of the 21st century requires talent and skilled manpower at all levels. A variety of post-secondary education and training programmes are available in Hong Kong. The Vocational Training Council provides a comprehensive system of vocational education and training for school leavers and adult learners. It also administers the New Technology Training Scheme which provides financial help to employers to train their staff to use new technologies. The Clothing Industry Training Authority runs two training centres for the clothing and footwear industries.

Creative Industries

Create Hong Kong and CreateSmart Initiative

'Create Hong Kong' (CreateHK) under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau's Communications and Technology Branch aims to drive the development of creative industries

by:

nurturing a pool of creative human capital;

facilitating start-ups and development of creative establishments;

generating demand for innovation and creativity and expanding the local market size for creative industries;

promoting creative industries in the Mainland and overseas to help explore outside markets;

⚫ fostering a creative atmosphere within the community;

developing creative clusters in Hong Kong to generate synergy and facilitate exchanges; and

organising major events to promote Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital.

In 2014, CreateHK's CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) provided $94 million to support 65 promotional and educational projects for various creative sectors and to encourage wider use of design by small and medium enterprises.

Creative Events

CreateHK works closely with stakeholders to foster an environment conducive to the development of creative industries. In particular, it assists industry groups in organising major creative events to engage the general public and to attract enterprises, talent and academics in creative industries from around the world to visit Hong Kong.

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