Extending services to boost China economy
ONE OF Polytechnic University's missions is to contribute to the closely related economies of Hong Kong and the mainland.
The university sees a huge need for quality training to help upgrade the China workforce, and sees this as crucial to the country's long-term development.
PolyU is engaged in various initiatives in the mainland targeted at the practical needs of mainland professionals and enterprises.
PolyU began offering educational services in China in 1998, and presently provides 17 programmes that have been approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council.
To facilitate these programmes, the university has set up training centres in Hangzhou, Xian, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Wuhan.
Alexander Tzang Hing-chung, the university's deputy president, said PolyU played a leading role in servicing the mainland's manpower development needs.
'We were the first Hong Kong university to set up training centres in the mainland, and the scale of our network is the biggest,' Mr Tzang said. 'The 17 approved programmes we provide are also the largest among Hong Kong universities.'
About 1,600 students are enrolled in these programmes, which have so far produced more than 3,000 graduates. Most of the courses are postgraduate programmes, with 65 per cent of the students being middle to senior management executives. Some 80 per cent of them work for leading enterprises in the state, private and foreign joint-venture sectors.
Mr Tzang said the university took different approaches to promoting its services to different target audiences in the mainland.
Apart from looking for potential students, PolyU also undertakes initiatives to establish links with mainland enterprises and reputable China universities.
For example, the university offers awards to outstanding private entrepreneurs, and this helps to raise its profile among private employers in the mainland.
In 1994, it championed an initiative to engage 23 leading mainland and overseas universities in collaborative research in applied technology. Of the university's 560 global academic and research partners, 200 are mainland universities.
In 1994, the university launched a series of six-year strategic plans to steer its development. The current plan runs till 2008. Mr Tzang said the next plan would focus on further expanding the university's development in China.
'I think our positive, long-term approach to developing our services in China is one of the main things that sets us apart from other institutions,' he said.
'We are doing this because Hong Kong is now part of China and our future is closely tied with that of the mainland. We are fortunate to have all our resources in Hong Kong, and we take it upon ourselves to make useful contributions to China. To do so, our work in the mainland will only continue to increase.'
