Languages, information technology and business management are the most popular courses with Hong Kong students pursuing continuing education, a University of Hong Kong survey has found.
The study, by HKU's School of Professional and Continuing Education, also revealed that more people are studying later in life.
A quarter of those surveyed said they had pursued continuing learning over the past year.
The study found spending was up 20 per cent compared with three years ago, although inflation and currency exchange may have played a role.
The HKU Space Centre for Research in Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning asked 1,506 students aged between 18 and 64 who were not enrolled in full-time degree courses which courses they had taken in the past year.
Seventy per cent of the respondents were employed. Of the 377 continuing learners, 55 per cent paid the tuition fees out of their own pockets and each learner spent an average of about HK$11,500 on courses, a 20 per cent increase on the last survey which was carried out in 2005. Thirty per cent said they had studied with financial support from the Continuing Education Fund.