Posted by It wasn’t a snap for Hong Kong, but my overstayed business visits that put aside tourist style had shaped a peculiar understanding to embody its life circumstance; on the people’s movement and their solid commitment towards working. I was really there, into mornings` crowds – walked through bearable distances and enjoyed full-house MTR travel, and finally be amongst Hong Kong professionals.
In my Indonesian eyeglasses, it wasn’t simply routine, schedule or nurtured discipline; it`s Hong Kong`s nature that working is positive blood and not sadness for mentality. I admire the way people appreciated owing to their skills and professionalism – and Hong Kongers truly reckon the standards and the right people to be within relevant human capital fulfillment. It was then a curiosity, education should’ve played pivotal behind-the-scene role.
Assuming that there should be strong foundation of such professionalism pattern through education, I decided to catch some friends up: Angie, Karlene, Maureen and Michelle – who happen to dedicate for Vocational Training Council (VTC). Interestingly, they commenced our conversation in Wan Chai by telling me stories about VTC`s students success; I could see that VTC has been serious in providing vocational and professional development opportunities for long years. And now they can smile upon seeing their alumni working in wide-array of professionalism fields – it’s a total network of 600,000 alumni, amazingly. Of their employment rate, 90% for their Higher Diploma graduates – substantial percentage, no doubt.
In reality of today, success in career hides one solid aspect as of reputable degree which in developed countries provided through simple steps: accomplish education fast and derive the beneficial harvest as professional life runs. But process of learning doesn’t stop after graduation, necessity of producing expertise through work is crucial. There should be chances given to stay improved through education thus acquiring skills remains plausible; remembering that technological pace alters promptly and varied career developments have encouraged concrete transformation in people`s pattern to learn. Nonetheless, learning opportunities aren`t always companies` priority and it seems that training investment deteriorates; blaming unstable global economy and inevitable market pressures – hence provide trainings for employees is often questioned, especially if the companies aren`t convinced to have certain people to stay for longer period within (Sally Percy, Forbes contributor, interview with Ben Chatfield – CEO & Co-Founder of Tempo – a recruitment platform).
I believe we’re witnessing glimpse options left for our next generations; of whether they could be satisfied enough with learning accomplishment from the degree or they will surrender to professionalism without support of continual learning development. Or perhaps they should be more initiative in taking the right education that shapes them into `work-ready` positioning? I would say so. As we live in more flexible world arrangement, learning provision should be easier as well. And when I understood VTC`s concept as leading vocational and professional education and training; no wonder that total per annum of approximately 200,000 students are widespread in 13 member institutions under VTC`s supervisory. But only 25% of the amount are full-time ones, meaning that VTC has succeeded to maintain a balance to grab both career and education – the students sufficiently receive the most flexible possibility to get developed without putting aside focus to strive on their existing work or any future endeavours.
VTC`s concept is here proven as destination of pathway to opportunities, whether students decide to be full or part time, but diverse interests and aptitudes of students within different ages and capabilities are well-catered. Shaping their alumni to be really in stage of work-ready, which I reckon that employers don`t need to consider twice for acceptance – and at the same time the alumni as professionals don`t have to question themselves in terms of capability.
I could see that what VTC provides is concrete bridge between learning and world of work, affecting companies to at least absorb people with profound readiness. The concern explained by Ben Chatfield on how companies start to have less training investment as a picture of increasing hesitation of employees loyalty, is one factor to be put on different box first. Clearer picture should be drawn better by going through the right and useful education path such as what VTC commits to provide, employers to absorb functional graduates from such qualified education provider and the rest is about whether the people accepted sustain long enough. If not, it`s the companies right to hold the investment – but if yes, it’s of course the companies wise consideration to allocate re-considered training budgets to develop their chosen employees.
In addition, for the human capital side, by attending more working realistic education such as VTC member institutions – people are actually on awareness to be non-dependent to whatever will be or will not be provided by employers (in terms of trainings or further education development) – but at least to prepare themselves better, thus they remain competitive in today’s tight global competitions.
To obtain more information about Vocational Training Council, surf through http://www.vtc.edu.hk/html/tc/
| Anisa Kirana. Hong Kong. 2018 |
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