Archive - Year 2001

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Summer IT training programmes to nurture young generation

June 11, 2001

The Government will launch four IT training programmes this summer to equip students with IT skills and to enhance their IT capability for future development in the information economy.

The four programmes are:

- Professional IT training for secondary school teachers and students;

- IT summer camps for secondary students;

- Practical IT training for Form 5 - 7 school leavers; and

- Scholarship provided by the Film Development Fund for tertiary students to take a computer animation and visual effects course in the USA.

Details of the programmes were unveiled today (June 11) at a press briefing jointly given by the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau (ITBB), the Education Department (ED) and the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA).

Speaking at the press briefing, Deputy Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Mr Alan Siu, said that nurturing IT talents was an important item on Government's agenda.

"In our 2001 Digital 21 Strategy promulgated last month, one key element is to nurture IT talents for the information economy," he added.

The professional IT training for secondary school teachers and students, organized jointly by ITBB, ED and three world-renowned IT companies and held between April and August this year, is expected to attract the participation of about 210 teachers and over 5,000 students from some 90 schools.

Principal Inspector of ED, Mr She Mang said, "The programme will provide professional IT training to teachers. Upon completion of training, they will then provide training to participating students using computer facilities in their own schools during the summer vacation."

The professional training programme includes training on network support provided by Microsoft, programming language for web-based application by Sun Microsystems, and mobile computing for mobile application development by Hewlett-Packard. Value of sponsorship provided by the three companies amounts to $3 million.

To arouse students' interest in IT and to provide an opportunity for them to acquire the fundamental concepts and skills of IT and telecommunications, ITBB and ED have partnered with the Pacific Century CyberWorks to organize a series of IT summer camps for secondary students. The camps are also sponsored by Compaq, Avaya and Adobe.

This series of summer camps, called "The New IT Generation" Summer Camp, will begin on July 22, 2001. Four camps, each lasting nine days, will be organised. Activities will include classes, demonstrations and workshops relating to telecommunications networks, desktop and networking applications, web page design, and IT and telecommunications applications. Students will also have the chance to visit telecommunications installations and data centre, participate in community services and take part in recreational activities. The summer camps will accommodate 240 students.

As for the practical IT training for secondary school leavers, ITBB will, as a pilot scheme, provide $5 million to sponsor current year Form 5 - 7 students who will not further their study after the current school year to enroll in practical IT courses so as to enhance their employability and help them find jobs.

Mr Siu said this would also to a certain extent serve as an immediate measure to address the IT manpower shortage in Hong Kong.

He said, "The scheme covers short term courses on basic office application skills, IT technical support skills and Web site development and e-commerce related skills. We will accept applications for sponsorship for such courses offered by training providers that are properly recognized or accredited."

Upon completing the course(s) and passing the examination(s), an applicant will be reimbursed 40 per cent of the total course and examination fees or $5,000 whichever is the less. If an applicant can find a job that will make use of the IT skills acquired, he or she will be reimbursed another 40 per cent of the total course and examination fees or $5,000, whichever is the less. It is expected that the sponsorship scheme will benefit at least 500 school leavers. Details of the scheme will be announced and applications invited at the end of this month.

The Film Development Fund has also allocated about $560,000 to sponsor eight tertiary students to pursue a computer animation and visual effects course offered by the New York University in early August this year.

This programme is organised by a working group comprising representatives of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Those studying in the fields of computer graphics, animation or visual effects in the seven local universities and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts are eligible to apply.

An assessment panel comprising representatives of the working group and the local film industry will select successful applicants. The results will be announced in early July.

In announcing the details of the programme, the Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing, Mr Eddy Chan, said that the objective of sponsoring tertiary students to take the overseas course was to enhance their skill level in the application of digital technology in film production.

"Through this programme, students can also learn about other culture, broaden their horizon, raise their creativity and become more sensitive to market trends," he said. "In addition, this course, which is run by US film personnel, will provide students with networking opportunities with the US film industry, which will help enhance exchanges of technical know-how and further promote the development of the Hong Kong film industry"

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