Officials pose for a photograph during the establishment of the Sichuan-Hong Kong Vocational and Applied Education Alliance at the Sichuan-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation Week in Ma On Shan, Sep 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Nineteen universities and vocational education institutions from China’s Sichuan province and Hong Kong launched a collaboration mechanism Wednesday that enables schools to share each other’s high-quality vocational courses in disciplines such as nursing, clothing manufacture, information technology and sports science.

The six Hong Kong vocational schools that joined the mechanism also agreed to incorporate more cross-boundary exchanges, including short-term courses, internships and studying tours, into their respective curricula to help students embrace career opportunities in both Hong Kong and on the Chinese mainland.

The six Hong Kong members of the collaboration mechanism — the Sichuan-Hong Kong Vocational and Applied Education Alliance — are the Education University of Hong Kong, Tung Wah College, Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Clothing Industry Training Authorities, Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and the Hong Kong College of Technology.

The 13 Sichuan members include Chengdu Technological University, Aba Teachers University, and Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic.

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Alliance Co-Chairman Wang Songjian said at the launching ceremony on the HKCT campus that the establishment of the alliance is based on the decadelong education collaboration between Sichuan and Hong Kong. 

President and Principal of Hong Kong College of Technology Chan Cheuk-hay speaks during the establishment of the Sichuan-Hong Kong Vocational and Applied Education Alliance at the Sichuan-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation Week in Ma On Shan, Sep 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Total 3,093 Hong Kong students have visited Sichuan for exchanges and study purposes since 2012, and 2,940 Sichuan students have come to Hong Kong during the same period, he said.

In additional to interschool collaboration, Wang, who is also a former government official in charge of educational affairs in Sichuan, said the alliance will serve as a collaboration platform to offer more cross-boundary studying and internship opportunities for students in Sichuan and Hong Kong.

Chan Cheuk-hay, principal of Hong Kong College and co-chairman of the alliance, said the alliance plans to implement a program facilitating the sharing of teaching resources, including courses, between its members across the border.

For example, if a school in Hong Kong expresses interest in a course offered by a school in Sichuan, the two institutions can collaborate to share the course, whether through physical or virtual methods, Chan said.

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Chan emphasized that the credits acquired by students while taking courses from the other side will also be duly recognized by their own schools. The program will encourage cross-boundary academic exchanges and promote the adequate use of educational resources, he added.

Hong Kong Under Secretary for Education Jeff Sze Chun Fai delivers a speech during the establishment of the Sichuan-Hong Kong Vocational and Applied Education Alliance in Ma On Shan, Sep 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

In recent years, both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong have strengthened their support of vocational education. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has launched the Diploma of Applied Education Programme for the 2023-24 school year, providing a new studying platform for high school graduates and adults to acquire vocational skills and enhance their learning ability.

Against this background, a closer vocational education collaboration between Hong Kong and the mainland, as the alliance strives to do, will help Hong Kong young people see greater career opportunities emerged from the mainland’s rapid development, said Cheung Kun-hong, a 28-year-old Hong Kong student who is pursuing his music career in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

Invited to share his experience at Wednesday’s event, Cheung said he decided to learn singing skills after graduating from high school. However, he found it difficult to continue his study in Hong Kong because his English score was unsatisfactory.

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Later, he found that the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, a renowned music education institution on the mainland, has a major in pop music that meets his need. After a year of preparation, Cheung was enrolled by the conservatory in 2019.

President Sally Chan Wai Chi of Tung Wah College meet the media after the establishment of the Sichuan-Hong Kong Vocational and Applied Education Alliance in Ma On Shan, Sep 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Cheung is satisfied with his learning experience at the music school as it has a strong team of teachers. The alumni network is also very helpful for his career, Cheung said.

Cheung has finished his undergraduate courses and plans to pursue a master’s degree at the same school. 

Citing himself as an example, Cheung hopes the alliance can deepen Hong Kong students’ understanding of vocational schools on the mainland and the employment prospects associated with different academic majors, enabling the students to develop more tailor-made career plans.