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Education

19. This offers more opportunities for such students to obtain a publicly funded degree education and fosters a flexible multi-entry post-secondary education framework.

On a pilot basis from 2015-16, the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors subsidises about 1,000 students per year to pursue designated full-time locally accredited self- financing undergraduate programmes in selected disciplines. In 2018-19, the scheme will be regularised with the number of subsidised places increased to about 3,000 per cohort, and current students of the designated programmes will also start receiving the subsidy.

In the 2016-17 academic year, $79.9 million in scholarships were awarded under the Self- financing Post-secondary Education Fund to 4,856 recipients and grants totalling more than $22 million were approved for 10 projects under the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme.

Governance of Post-secondary Institutions

All UGC-funded universities, the Open University and the HKAPA are statutory bodies governed by their own ordinances. Nine approved post-secondary colleges are registered under and governed by the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance: the Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Centennial College, Chu Hai College, Gratia Christian College, Hang Seng Management College, HKCT Institute of Higher Education, Nang Yan College, Shue Yan University and Tung Wah College. Each post-secondary institution has its own structure of governance, normally including a governing body, called the council or board of governors, and a body to regulate academic affairs, called the senate or academic board.

Vocational and Professional Education and Training and Adult Education

Vocational Training Council

The VTC is a statutory body that offers vocational and professional education and training (VPET) for school leavers and adult learners. It provided some 250,000 full-time and part-time places during 2016-17.

Quality-assured, internationally recognised full-time and part-time courses up to master degree level are available for students completing Secondary 3 education or above, covering applied science, design, engineering, hotel operations, services and tourism, child care, elderly and community services, business, information technology and other study areas. The courses are offered through the VTC's 13 member institutions, such as the Hong Kong Design Institute, Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, Institute of Professional Education and Knowledge, International Culinary Institute, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and Youth College. The VTC also administers an apprenticeship scheme and provides trade testing and certification.

Since 2014-15, the VTC has implemented a Pilot Training and Support Scheme with the government's funding support to attract and retain talent for industries with a keen demand for labour, by integrating structured apprenticeships with clear career progression pathways. It is expected to benefit 4,000 students across four cohorts. The VTC also receives recurrent funding to provide industrial attachment for about 9,000 students every year, mainly studying higher diploma programmes and certain Diploma of Vocational Education programmes.

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