Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education
The Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education aims to promote and provide flexible and high-quality lifelong learning opportunities for career advancement, personal development and appreciation of life. The Institute offers professional/certificate/diploma programmes, workplace training, full-time Project Yi Jin courses and pre-associate degrees for school leavers, non-local degrees and short courses. It also regularly organizes public seminars on various topics.
The Institute continued to build its portfolio of programmes related to the training of talent for various creative industries and performing arts, and forged new links with professional groups in different fields. Courses and training programmes in a wide range of areas were developed to serve the needs of niche groups. There were also plans to provide more further education pathways for secondary school graduates.
Programmes on arts and culture
In support of the Government’s plan to promote the development of cultural and creative industries, the Institute launched a number of new programmes. These included a professional certificate in stage performance with PIP School, a professional certificate in Cantonese opera singing, certificate programmes in Chinese calligraphy, Cantonese opera writing, Cantonese opera percussion, and appreciation of ancient Chinese ceramics. In particular, preparations were made for the introduction of a number of undergraduate honours degree programmes in fashion design, styling and photography of the Middlesex University in UK, in late 2010. Graduates of the University’s prestigious School of Arts and Education have made their way to the who’s who in the fashion and design industry.
New full-time programmes for secondary school graduates
Other undergraduate programmes that the Institute jointly organized with Middlesex University were a BA (Hons) Business Management and a BA (Hons) Accounting and Finance of its School of Commerce. Separately, plans were in place for the recruitment of Secondary Five graduates to the Institute’s new diploma programmes on make-up and creative image styling, psychology, business accounting and social sciences.
A wide variety of other new programmes and seminars
The Institute provided retraining courses under the ‘Manpower Development Programme’ for the Employees Retraining Board, covering areas such as accounting, English, Putonghua and clinical assistant work. A Professional Training Course for Energy and Carbon Auditors was jointly offered with the University’s School of Science and Technology and SGS (Hong Kong) Ltd. New diploma or certificate programmes in renal nursing, smart diet planning, pet grooming and care, financial analysis and investment management, financial services compliance, treasury market back-office operations, and advanced value investing were also made available. Talks and seminars on a wide range of topics were organized, including those on investor education and on how to respond to adversity in association with the Securities and Futures Commission and Women’s Commission, respectively.
