Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
FEHD releases sixth batch of gravidtrap indexes for Aedes albopictus in June
District
District With reference to the data from the past few years, the gravidtrap indexes start to rise from April every year. The indexes are higher from May to June. The actual timing and extent of the rise are affected by factors like weather conditions and rainfall. As compared with last year, the temperature began to climb earlier this year and the rainfall in June increased substantially, creating favourable conditions for mosquito growth and breeding. Depending on factors like rainfall, the indexes may rise further, but the overall trend of gravidtrap indexes this year is similar to those of previous years.
The FEHD has also carried out a series of actions, including: Public participation is crucial to the effective control of mosquito problems. The FEHD appeals to members of the public to continue to work together in strengthening personal mosquito control measures, including: Starting in August 2025, following the completion of the surveillance of individual survey areas, and once the latest gravidtrap index and the density index are available, the FEHD has been disseminating relevant information through press releases, its website and social media. It aims to allow members of the public to quickly grasp the mosquito infestation situation and strengthen mosquito control efforts, thereby reducing the risk of chikungunya fever (CF) transmission.
Following recommendations from the World Health Organization and taking into account the local situation in Hong Kong, the FEHD sets up gravidtraps in districts where mosquito-borne diseases have been recorded in the past, as well as in densely populated places such as housing estates, hospitals and schools to monitor the breeding and distribution of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which can transmit CF and dengue fever. At present, the FEHD has set up gravidtraps in 62 survey areas of the community, with a surveillance period of two weeks. During the surveillance period, the FEHD will collect the gravidtraps once a week. After the first week of surveillance, the FEHD will immediately examine the glue boards inside the retrieved gravidtraps for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes to compile the Gravidtrap Index (First Phase) and Density Index (First Phase). At the end of the second week of surveillance, the FEHD will instantly check the glue boards for the presence of adult Aedine mosquitoes. Data from the two weeks of surveillance will be combined to obtain the Area Gravidtrap Index and the Area Density Index. The gravidtrap and density indexes for Aedes albopictus in different survey areas, as well as information on mosquito prevention and control measures, are available on the department’s webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/dengue_fever/Dengue_Fever_Gravidtrap_Index_Update.html#Issued at HKT 18:05
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (June 29) will be cancelled.
If the thunderstorm warning is cancelled and weather conditions permit by then, the flag-raising ceremony may be resumed without further notice.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
During the rain and tropical cyclone season, Hong Kong may occasionally be affected by tropical cyclones and heavy persistent rain, the weather becomes unstable. Students and parents should pay attention to the change in weather.
Students and parents are therefore reminded that in the event of tropical cyclones and/or heavy persistent rain, the Education Bureau (EDB) will announce the class suspension arrangements for that day based on the latest weather information and the conditions of roads, slopes, and traffic. The announcements will be made through the following channels: When tropical cyclones and/or rainstorms affect Hong Kong, the following general schooling arrangements will apply:
Weather conditions
Corresponding measures
When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 is issued
All schools, including kindergartens, are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.
When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 is issued
Classes of kindergartens, schools for children with physical disability and schools for children with intellectual disability are to be suspended.
Other schools are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.
When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Pre-No. 8 / No. 8 or above is issued
Classes of all schools are to be suspended.
When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above isreplaced by Signal No. 3
Classes of all kindergartens, schools for children with physical disability and schools for children with intellectual disability are to remain suspended.
Unless previous announcement has been made to the effect that classes will be suspended for the entire day, other schools are to resume if Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 3 has been issued before 5:30 a.m. (for AM and whole-day schools), 10:30 a.m. (for PM schools) or 5:00 p.m. (for evening schools).
When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 is replaced by Signal No. 1 or when all tropical cyclone signals are cancelled
All schools are to resume with the next session unless previous announcement has been made to the effect that classes will be suspended for the entire day.
When Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal is issued
All schools, including kindergartens, are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.
When Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or “The combined effect of strong wind and prolonged rainstorm is affecting/expected to affect Hong Kong” information is issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO)
In general, if the relevant rainstorm warning signal or information is issued during the following periods, it means that student need not attend schools:
At or after 5:30 a.m. and before 8:00 a.m.: AM and Whole-day Schools
At or after 10:30 a.m. and before 1:00 p.m.: PM Schools
At or after 5:00 p.m. and before 7:00 p.m.: Evening Schools
If the relevant rainstorm warning signal or information is issued during school hours, schools should implement contingency measures to ensure the safety of students. Schools which are in session should continue lessons until the end of normal school hours and ought to ensure that conditions are safe before allowing students to return home. Parents do not need to pick up their children from school immediately.
As the situations in localised areas may differ from the territory as a whole, parents can exercise their discretion in deciding whether or not to send their children to school if the local weather, roads, slopes or traffic conditions are adverse. Schools will be flexible in handling the affected students who arrive late or are absent from school at parents’ discretion on the day, and such students will not be penalised.
Weather conditions can change rapidly, so it is important for students and parents to pay close attention to the latest weather conditions provided by the HKO and check if the EDB has announced class suspension before leaving for school and during their journey to ensure safety.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 27) that according to the Beach Water Quality Forecast System of the Environmental Protection Department (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/water/beach_quality/forecast_system.html), the Beach Water Quality Forecast Index for Silver Mine Bay Beach in Islands District is 4, which means the predicted water quality at this beach is “Very Poor” due to potential transient water quality fluctuations caused by heavy rain. The red flag has been hoisted, and beachgoers are advised not to enter the water to safeguard their health.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 28) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Pui O Beach in Islands District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
LCQ5: Establishment of smart education platform and large language models Question:
It has been reported that the Mainland has set up a national smart education public service platform (“smart education platform”) covering primary and secondary education, vocational education, higher education and lifelong learning to provide personalised online interactive learning materials along with round-the-clock support for students and continuing education participants. Some members of the community have suggested that the Government should prioritise the establishment of large language models (LLMs) and an education platform applicable in Hong Kong’s education system and incorporate therein correct history, culture and values so as to elevate the quality of education and the depth of cultural inheritance in the territory. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the total numbers of educational institutions in Hong Kong (including universities, secondary and primary schools, and vocational education institutions) which have currently established on-premises LLMs for subject-based education;
(2) whether it has plans to develop LLMs of subject-based education with local characteristics for use by students and people pursuing further studies in Hong Kong; if so, when the development will begin; if not, whether it will consider establishing such models; and
(3) given that the Mainland has already established a smart education platform, whether the Government will consider discussing with relevant Mainland authorities the possibility of replicating the platform in Hong Kong and adapting them for use by local educational institutions at various levels, following integration with the local curriculum?
Reply:
President,
As global digitalisation continues to progress, the Education Bureau (EDB), in line with the national strategy for invigorating the country through science and education, actively promotes education innovation and takes forward digital education in order to nurture future talents to embrace the challenges and opportunities in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the formation of the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education, we have identified the directions and key focus areas for digital education, and are continuously optimising the curricula, strengthening relevant training for teachers, improving digital education infrastructure, enhancing learning platforms and AI technology as well as collaborating with stakeholders from various sectors, with a view to promoting the implementation of digital education and enhancing the quality of local education.
Our consolidated reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon William Wong is as follows:
With training in the form of deep learning of massive amounts of text data, large language models (LLMs) are able to generate natural language text and handle various natural language tasks such as text summarisation, questioning and answering, and translation. In the field of education, the application of LLMs serves as a learning and teaching aid which assists teachers in preparing lessons, setting questions and marking assignments on one hand, and help students search for information, obtain writing advice, etc on the other hand. At present, the application of LLMs in teaching is being developed and improved continuously. To effectively enhance the quality of education and the depth of cultural heritage, including incorporating proper values with respect to history and culture through the application of LLMs, it is essential for teachers to apply technology in a professional manner and make reference to resources from local, national and international online platforms, so as to flexibly adopt teaching strategies and design quality learning activities which align with the curriculum and meet the needs of students.
In this connection, the EDB has been encouraging and supporting schools to explore and adopt diversified and appropriate teaching strategies based on their school contexts and students’ learning needs, and to make good use of technology including LLMs. At the same time, schools are encouraged to nurture students’ information literacy as well as proper attitudes and values towards the application of innovation and technology (I&T) which align with the aims and objectives of the school curriculum. Currently, some schools in Hong Kong are trying to develop school-based LLMs for application in learning and teaching. While the EDB supports school-based innovation, we do not require all schools to develop their own LLMs for subject-based teaching at the present stage. As such, relevant statistics are not available. To keep abreast of the times, we will closely take heed of the trends in technological development and application, strengthen the professional development of teachers, and review the application of LLMs in a timely manner.
To promote digital transformation in education, we have allocated $500 million under the Quality Education Fund for the implementation of the e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme to develop e-learning ancillary facilities that meet local learning and teaching needs. There are a total of 22 funded projects in which I&T such as LLMs are deployed. The deliverables of the projects are to be released in four batches starting from mid-2025 for the use of publicly-funded schools. In fact, schools may utilise different resources such as the Composite Information Technology Grant in a flexible manner according to their school contexts for procuring different digital teaching tools and platforms to tie in with subject teaching and cater for the diverse learning needs of students in learning.
On resources development, the EDB has been committed to providing schools with quality teaching materials, including learning and teaching resources on different subjects, the Educational MultiMedia and the EDB One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources, covering the Key Learning Areas and cross-disciplinary subjects or areas at kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. The EDB has also been collaborating with the Hong Kong Education City Limited (HKEdCity) to provide one-stop services on e-learning, e-reading and e-assessment including platforms such as the eRead Scheme and the Student Assessment Repository to meet the needs of local schools, and with the provision of the online learning platform and related courses on AI and computational thinking for students, the aim of sharing resources is achieved.
Regarding the smart education platform developed by our country, local teachers and students at present can browse around for free without the need to register. However, as the curricula of the two places vary, Hong Kong schools need to make adaptations and relevant technical adjustments when using the platform. The EDB has already liaised with relevant authorities to gain insights into the mode of operation and types of resources provided by the platform. We will also actively study and make reference to the relevant experience of the platform, so as to explore feasible options for the enhancement of local teaching and learning resource platforms to better support learning and teaching. We will continue to strengthen professional teacher training on I&T and AI, optimise the platform of the HKEdCity, make reference to and utilise existing high-quality learning and teaching platforms, LLMs and programmes locally and from our country and overseas, encourage cross-sectoral and cross-school sharing of resources, and explore cost-effective approaches to further support the learning and teaching of digital education in Hong Kong.
For post-secondary education, with the advent of AI, innovative and breakthrough technology in the new era, post-secondary institutions are encouraged to actively explore and experiment in teaching and learning. Amongst others, the University Grants Committee (UGC) launched the $100 million Fund for Innovative Technology-in-Education in 2023 to provide an impetus for universities to harness innovative and breakthrough technologies in transforming pedagogies and enriching student learning experiences. The eight UGC-funded universities are capitalising on the funding to continuously implement around 100 new projects, with the aim to drive transformation in pedagogies, curricula, assessments, and student development; advance digital competency comprehensively; promote technological social responsibilities and academic integrity; and foster academia-industry collaboration and enhance authentic learning experience. The goal is to nurture university students into a digitally competent and technologically responsible new generation under the digital economy. These projects are underway and expected to be completed in 2026.
In addition, through targeted support measures, including the Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education, as well as the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme, we support universities of applied sciences and self-financing post-secondary education institutions to enhance teaching quality by seizing the opportunities arising from technological advancement and make good use of AI.
In response to the rapid development of AI technologies, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) has also established the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT), which admitted its first cohort of students in the 2024/25 academic year (AY). The VTC is developing AI-enabled interactive learning materials, including introducing educational chatbots to provide students with instant learning feedback to enhance their learning outcomes. The EDB has been supporting post-secondary institutions to introduce appropriate teaching frameworks and new programmes, so as to enhance support for academic staff and students, and meet ever-changing societal needs. In the 2024/25 AY, there are about 10 programmes related to AI offered by the UGC-funded universities. A number of UGC-funded universities have also offered AI-related undergraduate programmes in the 2025-28 triennium in response to the strategic directions set by the Government, for example, “Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence” of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and “Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science” of the University of Hong Kong. In sum, the EDB will continue to encourage schools to use I&T and keep a close watch on the application and development of I&T in this field, strengthen the exchange and collaboration with partners in the Mainland and overseas to facilitate the high-quality development of digitisation of local education.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) carried out surprise inspections in Central yesterday (June 29) and issued a total of four fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in an effort to clamp down on illegal cigar smoking in no-smoking areas.
During the operation codenamed “Smokeshield”, officers from TACO (including plainclothes officers) carried out inspections and enforcement action at one cigar retail shop in Central, and issued a total of four FPNs to persons smoking cigars illegally at the premises. TACO’s investigation is ongoing, and prosecution may also be taken against operators of the cigar retail shop who are suspected of aiding and abetting smoking offences.
Under the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Ordinance), smoking in a statutory no-smoking area (including indoor areas of shops) is prohibited. Any person who smokes in a statutory no-smoking area is liable to a fixed penalty of $3,000. Venue managers of statutory no-smoking areas are empowered by the Ordinance to request a smoking offender to cease the act. If the offender is not co-operative, the manager of the no-smoking area may contact the Police for assistance.
Moreover, where smoking products (including cigars) are sold, whether in cigar retail shops or otherwise, the restrictions on the promotion and sale of smoking products stipulated in the Ordinance apply. Offenders are liable on summary conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000.
In addition, under the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, any person who aids, abets, counsels or procures the commission by another person of any offence shall be guilty of the same offence.
“From January 2025 to date, the DH has conducted over 100 inspections of cigar shops regarding illegal smoking activities, and issued a total of 13 FPNs for illegal smoking in these premises. The DH will continue to closely monitor and rigorously enforce the law against smoking in no-smoking areas, as well as the illegal sale and promotion of smoking products,” said the Head of TACO, Dr Manny Lam.
He cautioned that cigar smoking is just as harmful to health as other smoking products, and urged smokers to quit as early as possible for their own health and that of their family and friends. The DH has collaborated with the School of Nursing of the University of Hong Kong to launch a pilot AI-assisted smoking cessation counselling service – “Chat to Quit” this year. The AI provides accurate and appropriate smoking cessation information instantly, and offers personalised smoking cessation counselling according to users’ smoking history and quitting preferences. It can also provide emotional support.
The DH also operates an integrated Smoking Cessation Hotline (1833 183) to answer enquiries about smoking cessation and provide professional counselling and referral services. Members of the public can visit the smoking cessation thematic website (www.livetobaccofree.hk) for more information on smoking cessation and related support tools and services. They can also download the “Quit Smoking App” to keep track of their quitting progress and obtain tips on fighting cravings to maintain a tobacco-free life.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
LCQ20: Nurturing environmental, social and governance talents Question:
In recent years, environmental, social and governance (ESG) has become a core strategy for global development, and Hong Kong has also been actively promoting Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 (Plan) and the development of green and sustainable finance. It has been reported that according to a study, only 27 per cent of the secondary schools in Hong Kong have included references to matters relating to sustainable development, climate and biodiversity in their school development plans, reflecting that there are still inadequacies in the nurturing of ESG talents and civic awareness in Hong Kong. According to the Report on 2023 Manpower Projection, the Labour and Welfare Bureau has also envisaged that ESG will be deemed essential knowledge in the future employment market. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as it is stated in the Plan that the authorities will broaden school teachers’ knowledge about climate change, and that schools may strengthen the relevant learning materials in different subjects, but the findings of the aforesaid study have revealed that such efforts seem to have failed to achieve the intended results, whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of schools’ education on climate change and biodiversity, etc;
(2) whether the authorities have considered further strengthening education on ESG (e.g. climate actions and social responsibilities) in secondary schools, and formulating interdisciplinary teaching guidelines; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) as the Plan has mentioned the need to incorporate learning materials relating to climate change, low-carbon technologies and green finance, etc, into the curricula in tertiary institutions, whether the authorities have assessed if the relevant curricula in the institutions can satisfy the need to train ESG talents; how to ensure that students are equipped with ESG literacy to meet the needs of the future job market, thereby facilitating the development of Hong Kong into a regional green finance centre; and
(4) regarding the workforce in the local employment market at present, whether the authorities have plans to promote the popularisation of ESG education, thereby assisting members of the public in enhancing their ESG knowledge to address the needs of the future employment market; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Regarding the question raised by the Hon Chan Siu-hung, the consolidated reply, after consulting the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the Labour and Welfare Bureau, and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, is as follows:
(1) and (2) The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to promoting education for sustainable development (ESD). It has been encouraging schools to adopt a “multi-pronged and co-ordinated” approach to enhance students’ understanding of sustainable development (SD) and encourage them to practise green living through different subjects, cross-curricular learning and life-wide learning activities. The relevant learning elements, which include climate action, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, energy saving and waste reduction, making good use of resources and corporate social responsibilities, have been incorporated in the curriculum guides of various subjects, such as Primary Humanities and Primary Science at the primary level, and Geography, Science, Biology, Business, Accounting and Financial Studies, Citizenship and Social Development as well as some Applied Learning courses at the secondary level.
ESD is an important component of values education across different subjects in primary and secondary school education. The Values Education Curriculum Framework (Pilot Version) lists “actively practising green living as well as encouraging and supporting joint efforts from people around” and “possessing a global perspective as well as being concerned about global environmental issues and the challenges in attaining sustainable development” as the expected learning outcomes, encouraging students to take responsibility for environmental conservation and nurturing in them proper values and attitudes, such as respecting, be thankful to and caring about nature.
To support teachers in implementing ESD, the EDB has organised various teacher professional development programmes. Field studies and seminars have been conducted to deepen teachers’ understanding of ESD and related topics as well as enhance their teaching capacity. Since the 2020/21 school year, the EDB has conducted nearly 200 relevant training activities with the number of teacher participation exceeding 12 300. The EDB has also collaborated with Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 3 to produce the “Savvy Earth Savers” segment featured in the English learning programme “In the Common Room”. The segment explores environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues and provides teachers with English learning and teaching resources for promoting ESD.
The EDB has also organised diversified student activities, such as slogan and poster design competitions, drawing and photo-taking competitions and picture book creation competitions, to help students understand the rationale and importance of sustainable development as well as enrich their learning experiences. To further promote ESD, the EDB launched the “Achieving Carbon Neutrality Student Ambassador Training Scheme 2024/25” for the first time in this school year. Through the collaborative efforts with different government departments, green groups and the business sector in organising diversified experiential learning activities, such as bank visit, coral conservation field trips and green building tours, the EDB aims to deepen students’ understanding of green finance and intelligent green buildings and the importance of marine biodiversity. Building on the first year’s experience with the ambassador scheme, the EDB will continue to collaborate with different stakeholders to provide students with more learning opportunities to further increase their understanding of the efforts of the Government and various sectors of society in achieving the target of carbon neutrality in Hong Kong.
Under school-based management, when formulating the School Development Plan (SDP), schools have to set out a clear direction for development and focused priority tasks, which should be in line with the school’s vision and mission, the latest education development, as well as the school context. Schools have been promoting ESD for years with good progress, and have generally taken forward relevant work as the routine ones. If there are new development focuses, strategies or measures, they will be included in the SDP as appropriate.
Besides, the relevant bureaux and departments have also been actively implementing various education and publicity programmes to enhance students’ understanding of SD, including:
(i) The Environment and Ecology Bureau has organised a range of seminars, workshops, field trips and interactive dramas, etc, on various topics through the Sustainable Development School Outreach Programme (Outreach Programme) and the Sustainable Development School Award Programme, so as to promote the concept and practice of SD among secondary students, and at the same time recognise the efforts of schools and students in promoting SD in the community. In the 2024/25 school year, under the theme of Food Waste Reduction and Recycling, the Outreach Programme attracted the participation of 231 schools, encompassing about 82 000 teachers and students. In 2024, the EPD also launched the “We-recycle@School” Activity (the Scheme). Through providing a variety of teaching materials, support and teacher training to primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, the Scheme assists schools and teachers in integrating waste reduction and recycling knowledge into daily teaching, encourage students to make good use of recycling facilities in schools and the community, and motivate their family members to practise resource separation and recycling together. Since its launch, the Scheme has received an overwhelming response, with the participation of about 350 000 students from around 550 primary and secondary schools. In addition, from January to May 2025, the EPD organised in collaboration with GREEN@COMMUNITY operators over 460 publicity activities on waste reduction and recycling involving or co-hosted by schools, thereby raising environmental awareness among students.
(iii) The Drainage Services Department (DSD) has been supporting schools in promoting environmental protection education through organising guided tours at sewage treatment facilities. For instance, students can learn about the sewage treatment process, energy efficiency design and the measures in combating climate change through visits to the DSD’s facilities such as the Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works and the Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works.
(3) The EDB has all along supported post-secondary institutions offering post-secondary programmes that meet the social and economic needs of Hong Kong, having regard to different policy bureaux’ and departments’ recommendations on manpower needs. In response to the ever-changing social needs for sustainable development, the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have offered various funded programmes relevant to “Environment, Society and Governance” in recent years, to nurture students to become talents in sustainable development and green finance. In the 2024/25 academic year, there are about 40 programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The EDB and the UGC will continue to encourage universities to nurture talents for growth, transformation and future challenges, and meet Hong Kong’s future development’s talent needs. Self-financing institutions also have the flexibility to develop programmes that meet market needs, and adjust the curricula and intake places of relevant programmes, in response to the ever-changing manpower needs of different sectors of society, and provide diversified articulation pathways.
(4) Bureaux and departments take forward sector-specific talent training programmes in response to the latest industry development and manpower situation to enrich the local human resources.
The Government launched in 2022 the Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme (Pilot Scheme) for application by local eligible market practitioners and related professionals as well as students and graduates of relevant disciplines. There are currently 94 eligible programmes and qualifications, including green and sustainable finance programmes and qualifications related to banking services, asset management, insurance industry, etc. These are provided by the professional and continuing education schools of local universities, professional institutions, international training providers, etc, and the list will continue to be updated. As of May 2025, over 7 200 reimbursement applications were approved, involving a total reimbursement amount of over $40 million. To continuously support local green finance talent training, we will extend the Pilot Scheme to 2028.
Besides, the Green and Sustainable Finance Cross-Agency Steering Group (Steering Group) formed by relevant Government Bureaux, financial regulators and the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited launched in October 2022 the Sustainable Finance Internship Initiative to create more relevant local internship opportunities for students. Members of the Steering Group also regularly offer training seminars and forums, at which representatives from financial regulators as well as experts from the academia and industry are invited to share insights to deepen university students and industry’s understanding of sustainable finance.
The EPD has all along been supporting the continuous development of environmental professions in Hong Kong, so that the standards and credibility of environment-related services and industries can be enhanced through professionalisation. The EPD is exploring collaboration with the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals to provide ESG-related training, with a view to addressing the rapid development and growing demand for talents in the ESG field. Besides, relevant courses are offered by course providers under the Continuing Education Fund in response to market development and needs, which are currently mainly provided by higher education institutions, and the Employees Retraining Board also provides relevant courses. Issued at HKT 14:25