Knowledge Economic Human Resource Development

Hong Kong Qualification Framework(QF),officially launched in 2008, suggesting that Hong Kong education system is stepping forward to lifelong learning education system.With Hong Kong's "new industrial economy" reconstruction to a service-oriented knowledge-based economy, the original labor force structure has not been adapted to the economic industry development. Improving the quality of workers has become the most pressing issue. Given the demand characteristics of a knowledge-based professionals, the original academic education, vocational education, vocational training which were respective to each other began to be replaced by life-long learning system. Hong Kong SAR Government, starting from the demand of economic and social development and human resource development, learned the advanced experience of foreign countries, and released the Qualification Framework through a sound mechanism.The QF is a hierarchy that orders and supports qualifications of academic, vocational and continuing education. To strengthen the industries'leading role in the development of vocational training so as to enhance the effectiveness of the latter, Specification of Competency Standards is formulated by the respective industries. Under the QF, qualifications are not confined to academic and training attainment. A Recognition of Prior Learning mechanism developed by individual industries is in place to recognize existing workers'skills, knowledge and work experience. All QF-recognized qualifications are quality assured. To facilitate lifelong learning, employees require flexibility in the mode and pattern of learning to cater for their work and family responsibilities. A Credit Accumulation and Transfer (CAT) system will provide the flexibility to suit individual circumstances and minimize duplication in training. The development of the QF will facilitate CAT arrangement between sectors and training providers by providing a unified platform and common benchmarks. Generally speaking, the QF has relevance not only to the workplace but also to secondary education. The ultimate purpose of establishing the QF is to build life-long education system, the formation of a learning society.Hong Kong QF not only draws on British and Australian Qualifications Framework strengths, but also makes full use of existing resources and merit, fully embodies the conscientiousness and scientificity. It has a clear industry-oriented policy guidance, multiple ways of learning and flexible education system. It established a vocational qualification system, and is strict, fair and transparent in assessing the qualifications.The experience of Hong Kong QF will have significant denotation for Mainland education and human resource development.