Thanks to the burgeoning variety in Hong Kong's education sector, it is impossible for any student to say or think that “there’s no way to progress” and get ahead. There is a wealth of opportunity in the city – it is up to individuals to find their own path.

Take Kenny Chan and Sophie Lee. Thanks to the ongoing partnership between HKUSPACE and Hull University Business School, they were both awarded their First Honours Degree in May from a top UK university, and are now beginning promising careers within the profession that they enjoy.

Kenny Chan, BSc (Hons)
Accounting

“I plan to finish the HKICPA QP qualification in three years and become a certified accountant. One of the reasons I can finish the QP in such a fast way is that the Hull degree programme, unlike many other similar programmes offered by oversea institutes in Hong Kong, adopts a local tax system in the syllabus, which means that some papers in QP are exempted.” Chan adds that the content of the programme was very practical and helps a lot with his daily work now.

Sophie Lee, BA (Hons)
Marketing & Management

For Lee, another outstanding graduate of Hull this year from the BA (Hons) Marketing and Management programme, her experience in HKUSPACE was the cornerstone of her career.

“After finishing Form Seven, I enrolled into HKUSPACE studying Higher Diploma in Business (Marketing and Management), and then moved onto the top-up degree programme. The thing I enjoyed the most is the ‘Independent Study’ module, which required me to study a topic of my choice from scratch, doing the research all by myself. It was challenging indeed, but very rewarding when I finished it,” says Lee, who has now been appointed to a managerial role in a marketing company.

Celebrating 10th anniversary partnership with new accreditation

The graduation celebration event held at The University of Hong Kong's Loke Yew Hall saw not only happy and contented students, families and friends but also academic staff and members of the collaboration between Hull and HKUSPACE.

Professor Calie Pistorius

“This wonderful partnership, which began in 2006, is a mark of mutual trust,” says Professor Calie Pistorius, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hull. “It started with marketing and accounting programmes, and has now grown into a range of programmes including sociology and criminology at HKUSPACE. I think what is the key of our excellent partnership is that we have the same vision. I am happy to see that the numbers and quality of graduates and programme are both increasing.”

Mr. KY Leung

Seeing outstanding graduates going on stage means a lot to KY Leung, Acting Head of College of Business and Finance at HKUSPACE. “This is what education is meant for and what it's about.  Most students and candidates who enrolled onto part-time courses took the chance to work in the field to gain working experience before attempting a degree, while full-time students articulate directly from Associate Degree programmes and Higher Diploma programmes.”

“But today, you see there are many who are stepping up from an associate degree to become a First Class Honours degree holder from a renowned university from the UK. For the good and for the future of our society and the school, I hope our collaboration with Hull can continue flourishing like it is now.” 

Apart from a number of global and local accreditations, Hull’s BA (Hon) Marketing and Management, BA (Hons) Marketing as well as BSc (Hon) Accounting have recently been recognised under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework as QF Level 5 programmes^  by the HKCAAVQ (Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications).

“This is definitely an encouragement to everyone of us and to the students, as it means they will have the benefit and qualification equal to local university students. For instance, they can apply for financial aid from the Student Finance Office and their bachelor qualification, upon graduation, allows them to apply for government positions as civil servants,” Leung adds. Full-time students enrolled in these programmes are also eligible to apply for the HKSAR Government’s grants and low interest loans, i.e. FASP and NLSPS.

Global accreditations prove the standard

Hull University Business School is recognised as a leading business school accredited by multiple industry accreditations as well as independent international accreditations such as AACSB which is held by only less than five per cent of business schools around the world. The Business School’s marketing subject group is joint top in the UK according to the most recent National Student Survey (NSS) for student satisfaction.

Dr Chloe Wu

“Taking our accounting programme at HKUSPACE into account, it is accepted by professional bodies including HKICPA and ACCA, and now HKCAAVQ. This is so important to our students who want to pursue a career in accounting,” says Dr Chloe Wu, Programme Leader of BSc (Hons) Accounting programmes.

“Even meeting the requirements of a single accreditation system is not easy; so for us to be accredited by different institutions is really telling about the high quality of our courses. It is challenging, but also rewarding.” Wu elaborates that besides ensuring the curriculum fits employers and the demands of the job market, it is of great important to listen to students’ feedback. “That’s why we have a student committee to look after their needs and problems regarding studying and careers.”

Dr Stephan Dahl

For Dr Stephan Dahl, Programme Leader of BA (Hons) Marketing and BA (Hons) Marketing and Management programmes, ensuring the course content is the most up-to-date is all important.

“For the accreditations, it is not only about quality control of its result and mode of delivery, but also about the quality of the content. To me, the ‘up-to-dateness’ is very important, particularly in marketing. For example, marketing channels have changed tremendously due to the growth of social media. In the past consumers – thus marketers – were relatively product-focused, and then became service-focused, and now it is almost emotion-focused. And so our course content reflects that shift. Also, we will be looking at non-profit organisations using commercial marketing techniques, which is a growing practice in the field.” Dahl says.

According to Dahl, a published author with social media and business ethics as a major area of interest, students in Hong Kong have become more “social media savvy” and very willing to or already know many things about social media, compared with past graduates, from say four years ago. “In addition to the hard skills learned, I hope my graduates will be ethical leaders and marketers, who do not practice controversial marketing tactics. Also, that Hull graduates are critical and independent thinkers,” Dahl stresses.

Now and beyond

Professor Terry Williams

Without a forward-thinking mindset and vision, no organisation or institute can evolve and make progress, and Hull is no exception. “The growing importance of digital, including big data and data mining, the interconnectedness of businesses, as well as sustainable, responsible management are to me three pillars of the trends in business and its education, and we have been responded by stressing the importance of these areas,” comments Professor Terry Williams, Dean of Hull University Business School.

“For instance, we are taking a holistic approach in each of our programmes to make sure that our students understand businesses as an interconnected whole. In our accounting programme, we explain how their speciality is related to other functions like marketing and business, and vice versa. When it comes to business ethics, we were one of the early signatories to the UN Principle of Responsible Management Education. We don’t just teach how to make lots of money in the next year, but how to manage responsibly, sustainably and ethically,” Professor Williams says.

^ These programmes are accredited by Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ). For details of QF Level, QR Registration Number and Validity Period of the programmes, please visit http://www.hkqr.gov.hk

Hull Graduation Photos - 2 May 2015