EDB holds Life Planning Education Conference with theme of "Creating Synergy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" (with photos)
11.11.2022

The Education Bureau (EDB) held the Life Planning Education Conference in person and online in parallel today (November 11), attracting about 1 100 local and Mainland education practitioners and representatives of partner organisations of the Business-School Partnership Programme (BSPP) to join. The participants took the opportunity to share their experience and enhance professional capacity in life planning education. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said that the theme of this year's conference was "Creating Synergy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area". It was set in the hope that joint efforts of different sectors could assist young people in understanding and knowing more about the development of the country and seizing the distinctive opportunities brought about by Hong Kong's integration into the country's overall development. They are also encouraged to grasp the opportunities for further studies and employment in the Greater Bay Area. Dr Choi pointed out that President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in which the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were mentioned. He encouraged Hong Kong to seize the opportunities brought about by the national development and further deepen the co-operation amongst Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as fully leverage the composite advantages of the three places and promote co-ordinated regional economic development. In encouraging young people, Dr Choi said, "Hong Kong youths are motivated, creative and with great potential. They will certainly play an important role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area." During the conference, Dr Choi presented certificates of appreciation to 36 business partners that had newly joined the BSPP, praising their contributions to lead students out of classrooms to broaden their horizons and provide more and a wider range of career exploration activities for them. In the 2022/23 school year, to further promote the co-operation between the business sector and schools, the EDB has launched the BSPP 2.0. The EDB is actively liaising with major chambers of commerce, professional bodies and the Industry Training Advisory Committees (including those of emerging industries) under the Qualifications Framework to encourage their member organisations to join the BSPP 2.0. A series of Holiday Work Experience Programmes will be held during long school holidays (e.g. summer holidays, Christmas holidays and Easter holidays) to enable senior secondary students to gain first-hand experience of the actual operations of different industries as well as explore their interests and career aspirations. Study Tours to the Greater Bay Area will also be launched to enhance the understanding of senior secondary students on the economic development and education as well as further studies, career development and more in the Greater Bay Area. The EDB has provided additional resources and strengthened support for schools to implement life planning education. The EDB has also been collaborating with business corporations through the BSPP to provide a wide range of career exploration activities to students. These activities have helped to equip students with information about different industries and study pathways as well as better prepare them for further studies and pursuing careers. Since the 2014/15 school year, about 400 business partners have joined the BSPP to organise about 7 800 activities, benefitting more than 1.29 million student participants. The Chairman of the Y. Elites Association, Mr Clarence Ling; Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Roborn Technology Limited Mr Mark Mak; and the Founder of Chuns Group, Mr Sky Tang, were invited as the keynote speakers of the conference. A number of sharing sessions were also held in the afternoon for participants to share their experience and exchange views. Education practitioners shared their views on the latest developments of life planning education and the opportunities for further studies and employment in the Greater Bay Area with the professionals and scholars, enabling them to better assist students in setting personal goals and planning for the future. For further information on life planning education, please browse the EDB's Life Planning Information Website ( lifeplanning.edb.gov.hk/en/index.html ) and the BSPP Website ( careerguidance.edb.hkedcity.net ).