In a landmark initiative aiming to foster global perspectives, VTC Innovation and Technology Co-creation Centre (ITCC) joined hands with the Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology (SZIIT) to organize a pioneering programme 「深信息學生“全球視野拓展計劃培訓”」. The programme, which ran over five days from the 24th to 26th and the 30th to 31st of August, saw an unprecedented 832 students from SZIIT visit the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Chai Wan) - a historic record for VTC-hosted individual college exchange visits.

This dynamic exchange and training program served dual purposes. It not only offered exchange students a platform to broaden their horizons and deepen their knowledge, but it also provided a valuable opportunity for interaction and dialogue between educators and learners from both institutions. The programme included a series of enlightening activities, such as lectures on "Hong Kong Humanities and Education" and "Hong Kong Student Innovative Thinking Practice Case Sharing." These sessions were designed to spur innovative thinking among students, encouraging them to explore new possibilities for their futures. In a further bid to enhance their learning experience, VTC facilitated visits to the most advanced technological teaching facilities. These hands-on experiences enabled the students to gain a first-hand understanding of the state of vocational and professional education in Hong Kong.

The cohort of visiting students comprised sophomores from the School of Information and Communication Technology, the School of Software Technology, and the School of Digital and Innovation Media at SZIIT. As they navigate their four-year courses at SZIIT, these students have the option of kick-starting their careers or pursuing further studies upon graduation. Interestingly, about 30% of the students expressed their intention to study in Hong Kong post-graduation from SZIIT, indicating their interest in understanding Hong Kong's educational landscape and the policies for Mainland students who wish to study and work in Hong Kong.

This exchange programme, leveraging education as a bridge, has marked significant progress in the cooperation of vocational and professional education in the Greater Bay Area. We believe that such initiatives will broaden students' perspectives, laying a solid foundation for future academic exchanges and cooperation between the two regions. By breaking barriers and building bridges, we are paving the way for a more collaborative and integrated educational future.

The Cyber Youth Programme 2023, hosted by Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited (HKIRC), has successfully concluded, achieving its purpose of enhancing cybersecurity awareness and skills among young talents. Building on the tremendous success of the past two years, the "Cyber Youth Programme" received overwhelming support and participation from the academic community and society. This year's competition attracted nearly 80 secondary schools and engaged around 1000 students.

As a co-organiser, IVE IT provided pre-competition training to the participating students. They had the opportunity to acquire fundamental knowledge in network security, learn techniques to prevent network attacks, identify common website vulnerabilities, and develop website vulnerability discovery skills through experiencing series of training exercises offered by our Cybersecurity Centre.

The event was a resounding success, fostering a deeper understanding of cybersecurity and equipping the next generation with crucial skills to navigate the digital landscape securely. Together, we are building a stronger and more resilient digital future!

The Information Technology Discipline of Vocational Training Council (VTC) and the Project Management Institute (PMI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 July 2023 to collaborate in addressing the skills gap in Hong Kong's innovation and technology sector.

The partnership between VTC and PMI will focus on nurturing talents, bridging the skills gap, and supporting the development of smart initiatives in Hong Kong. The collaboration will enable both pre-employment and in-service professionals to up-skill and re-skill, ensuring that they are equipped to meet the evolving demands of the industry.

As part of the collaboration, VTC along with PMI will explore  PMI's cohort-based pilot programs and the feasibility of becoming an authorized training and examination centre for PMI-related certificates. The partnership will promote best practices and support professional development initiatives to prepare students and professionals for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Ir Dr John Hui, Academic Director of IT Discipline, VTC, and Ms SoHyun Kang, Regional Managing Director of PMI Asia Pacific, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Ir Dr Eric Liu, Deputy Executive Director of VTC, and Ms Zaky Chan, Program Manager of Certifications & Product Architecture, PMI.  

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ir Dr Eric Liu, Deputy Executive Director of VTC, said, "The collaboration between VTC and PMI is a significant step towards building a more innovative and skilled workforce in Hong Kong. This partnership will jointly promote courses in the project management field, advocating for best practices and supporting professional development initiatives to ensure that our students and professionals are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future.”

Ms SoHyun Kang, Regional Managing Director of PMI Asia Pacific, added, “PMI is focused on empowering the workforce with skills that can help make their ideas a reality and create a social impact. VTC is a leading provider of vocational and professional education and training in Hong Kong. It is our honor to collaborate with them and collectively address the skill gap needs here. Project management skills are of value to all working professionals.  Together we can harness professionals with knowledge of project management that can add value to their career and lead them towards a better future.”

The collaboration between VTC and PMI is a remarkable milestone towards developing a skilled workforce for Hong Kong’s innovation and technology. This partnership provides an opportunity for students and professionals to enhance their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and practices in the industry. By working together, VTC and PMI are committed to supporting the development of a highly skilled and innovative workforce for Hong Kong's sustainable economic growth.

We are grateful for the support of PMI and all those involved in making this collaboration possible. We look forward to a fruitful partnership and the exciting opportunities it will bring for our students, professionals, and the innovation and technology sector in Hong Kong.

We are proud to have co-organized the FIRST® LEGO® League 2022-23 and the Award Presentation Ceremony which took place on 21 & 22 July 2023 at IVE (Tsing Yi) campus. The event was a huge success, with more than 800 secondary and primary school students participating. As a co-organizer, IVE IT is committed to promoting STEM and Innovation Technology to cultivate talents for the emerging smart world, thereby boosting the I&T development in Hong Kong.

FIRST® LEGO® League 2022-23 is a yearly event that provides a platform for students to showcase their robotics skills and compete in STEM challenges. This year's theme was "The New Generation of Energy" and participants were required to apply STEAM knowledge and innovative thinking to design solutions.

We would like to express our gratitude to the organizer Trumptech, and all the partners and co-organizers who have been dedicated to nurturing local talent and promoting the development of the IT industry in Hong Kong. Congratulations again to all the participants for their effort and dedication!

“Smart city” is a global development trend, and with the current wave of digital transformation, the importance of cybersecurity is increasingly prominent. To meet the market's demand for IT talent, IVE has enriched the curriculum and upgraded teaching facilities. More than that, actively collaborated with the industry to provide a variety of practical experiences for the new generation of IT professionals. On 17 June 2023, IVE Information Technology Discipline co-organized the "Greater Bay Area Cybersecurity Competition 2023", with cybersecurity solutions leader - H3C. The competition garnered the participation of 13 tertiary education institutions in the region. It aims to promote cybersecurity awareness, strengthen competitors’ knowledge and understanding of incident response and threat intelligence, and most importantly, nurture the next generation of cybersecurity professionals in GBA.

The "Greater Bay Area Cybersecurity Competition 2023" was held at the Cybersecurity Centre in IVE Chai Wan campus, bringing together 13 teams of tertiary education students from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Macau. Participants need to complete the designated security operation challenge tasks and submit the answer. The challenges included but are not limited to investigating the log files, reviewing server configuration, etc. The competition allowed students majoring in cybersecurity aspect in the Greater Bay Area to apply their cybersecurity skills & techniques, strengthen their response to cybersecurity incidents and also their soft skills in handling network attacks. Meanwhile, this platform also promoted exchanges and mutual improvement among students in the Greater Bay Area on up-to-date cybersecurity technologies, enhancing cybersecurity awareness and a positive attitude towards active learning.

More information:
IVE與H3C合辦大灣區網絡安全大賽 粵港澳IT學生拓實戰經驗
https://bit.ly/44EokwJ

In the recent Google Cloud Summit, IVE IT joined forces with Google Cloud to cultivate the next generation of tech talent with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the digital age in Hong Kong.

Through this collaboration, IVE students will have access to the latest cloud technology teaching materials through 200 Google Cloud courses, including AI and cloud infrastructure, and gain a deeper understanding of various Google Cloud technologies. As part of the Google Cloud Skills Boost program, they can also learn about generative AI in seven new free courses and earn industry-approved certificates.

We're excited to be working with Google Cloud to empower Hong Kong's tech talent and pave the way for a smarter, more digital future.

More information:
Google Cloud 夥IVE、VTC 推出 AI 課程育本地人才
https://bit.ly/3DcGz09

IVE Information Technology Discipline is always dedicated to cultivating IT professionals for society and equipping students with practical skills and an innovative mindset. On June 16 2023, IVE IT Discipline held the Graduation Project Exhibition 2023, displaying 50 outstanding graduate projects. The exhibits ranged from Virtual Reality to Art Technology, showcasing a wide variety of projects. The exhibition provided graduates with an opportunity to display their work to the public and offered a platform for interaction between various sectors. The Guest of Honour, the Honourable Duncan CHIU, Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation) of the HKSAR, was pleased to see the graduates being favoured by the industry. He expressed his hope that IVE would continue to nurture talent and promote further progress in Hong Kong's IT sector.

The Vocational Training Council, in collaboration with OpenACC organization and NVIDIA, is hosting the Hong Kong AI for Science Bootcamp for a day on 28 June.

During this bootcamp, participants will learn how to apply AI tools, techniques, and algorithms to real-life problems.

You will study the core concepts of Deep Neural Networks, how to build Deep Learning models, as well as how to measure and improve the accuracy of your models.

You will also learn essential data pre-processing techniques to ensure a robust Machine Learning pipeline.

This bootcamp has a hands-on learning experience where you will be guided through step-by-step instructions with teaching assistants on hand to help throughout.

This bootcamp will be delivered in Hybrid Mode. We will contact you directly to notify and provide the participation details once received your application

•             VTC Innovation & Technology Co-creation Centre (for Face-to-face with technical support)

•             Microsoft Teams (Online)

The language used in the bootcamp is English. Chinese explanation will be offered to applicate joining face-to-face mode.

Please apply and find more details on OpenHackathons - BootCamps: https://www.openhackathons.org/s/siteevent/a0C5e000007ZZnfEAG/se000195

IVE IT Discipline students participated in various industry competitions and performed outstanding achievements in the past several months.

1.      The Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards

The Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA Awards) is an international awards program. By providing networking and product benchmarking opportunities to ICT innovators and entrepreneurs in the region, the program is designed to stimulate ICT innovation and creativity, promote economic and trade relations, facilitate technology transfer, and offer business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and investors. Our students won Merit Award in categories of Student – Tertiary Technology and Student – Tertiary Applications respectively.