‘We need to train talent’: will Hong Kong’s applied sciences universities fix manpower crunch or fall flat amid lingering ‘second class’ label?
- Many expect Metropolitan University to make the university of applied sciences (UAS) cut, as its industry-focused courses are in demand
- UAS, a new type of university, will produce graduates with practical skills, but perceptions of such institutions being ‘second class’ persist
Hong Kong graduate Luka Chow had been an accountant for five years and was about to be promoted to manager when he decided he wanted to work in healthcare instead.
He signed up for a new four-year degree programme at Tung Wah College (TWC), a private institution, and was among its first batch of physiotherapy graduates last year.
“I wanted to help people suffering physical pain,” recalled Chow, now in his 30s. “If there was no such college for me to study physiotherapy, I’m afraid I would still be an accountant.”
He said his first degree was focused on academic knowledge, whereas the second emphasised practical elements to train students to become professionals.
“We had to complete about 1,000 hours of clinical practicum. The teachers were all so caring, some of them were former physiotherapists,” he said.
Although Tung Wah College has not yet received private university status, Chow’s degree is considered academically equivalent to similar degrees from other campuses in Hong Kong and around the world.