Vice President (Strategic Initiatives); Acting Dean, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Professor Alan Au Kai Ming is Vice President (Strategic Initiatives) of Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) and Acting Dean of its Business School. He leads the planning and implementation of strategic initiatives to advance the University’s vision and objectives, focusing on international and Mainland relations, as well as HKMU’s development as Hong Kong’s first University of Applied Sciences.
Professor Au has published extensively in international refereed journals, specialising in business ethics, international management, technology transfer, and marketing. He has also engaged in numerous consultancy projects for the Hong Kong Government and various public and private organisations.
As a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) and The Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI), Professor Au holds important positions in a number of its committees, most notably as Chairman of the Professional Standards Committee of CGI. Additionally, he participates in various advisory committees, including the Steering Committee on Promotion of Vocational and Professional Education and Training and Qualifications Framework and the Advisory Group for Financial Education for Youth Adults of the Investor and Financial Education Council.
The 2023 Policy Address has laid down the HKSAR Government's strategic goals of developing Hong Kong into an international education hub and a cradle for future talents, including its plans to establish Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs). Subsequently, the Education Bureau has appointed the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) to establish the criteria for UAS designation. Following a comprehensive Institutional Review, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) became the first institution to be granted UAS status in March 2024.
In this presentation, Professor Alan Au, Vice President (Strategic Initiatives) of HKMU, will discuss the development of UASs in Hong Kong, examining the Government's strategic rationale for their establishment and their pivotal role in enhancing Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) within the higher education framework. The presentation will also compare UASs with conventional vocational institutions and traditional universities, along with examples of established UAS models from overseas and Mainland China. This will help illustrate the key principles of UAS education and its role in developing talent and supporting young people's career aspirations.
Additionally, the presentation will demonstrate how HKMU's mission and vision align with the ethos of a UAS, detailing its anticipated contributions to Hong Kong's higher education ecosystem. This will include an overview of HKMU's current strategic initiatives and program offerings that support its development as a UAS.