Recent continuing education policies in Hong Kong: A focus on short-term performance through inducements

In recent years, due to economic restructuring, the problems Hong Kong has been facing are the 'knowledge deficit' in the workforce and a shortage of well-educated manpower. The Hong Kong Government has implemented a number of continuing education policies with an ultimate goal to encourage and help the workforce to strengthen themselves with improved knowledge and skills. These policies rely on short-term inducements such as providing monetary subsidies and loans. As the recipients of inducements differ in their capacities, preferences and objectives, there exist problems of variability that depreciate the intended outcomes. Moreover, the long-term needs are undermined. Because of the lack of an overall plan and coordination, there are areas of duplication and inconsistency among the policies, leading to counter-effective administration. In this article, the recent continuing education policies in Hong Kong are reviewed critically with respect to the problems and community needs as well as the policy objectives and possible solutions. The Government's promises and shortcomings are discussed.