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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue, in the Legislative Council today (January 14):
Question:
The Report of the Phase Two Review of the Post Secondary Education Sector made public in April last year recommended that "the Government should continue to take the lead in enhancing recognition for Associate Degree (AD) qualification". Moreover, there are currently 13 grades which set Higher Diploma (HD) as an entry qualification requirement also accept AD qualification. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it will increase the number of civil service grades accepting AD qualification as an entry requirement; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) given that the Government announced at the end of last year the creation of over 60,000 civil service posts and other temporary posts to stimulate the economy, of the number and percentage of such posts which accept AD qualification as an entry requirement, as well as the average monthly salary of such posts; and
(c) whether it will consider creating temporary and internship posts which only accept applications from holders of AD qualification; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Regarding part (a) of the question, individual heads of grade would, on the basis of the operational needs of the grades under their purview, set the entry requirements for the grades concerned in terms of academic or professional qualifications, technical skills, working experience, language proficiency, etc. For civil service appointment, AD qualification is accepted as broadly equivalent to HD qualification. At present, there are 13 grades which set HD and AD as entry qualification requirement. In addition, AD graduates may also apply for grades requiring academic qualifications below sub-degree (including AD and HD) level, including grades requiring two passes at Advanced Level in Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination plus three credits in Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (the so-called "2A3O") or those requiring attainment of School Certificate level. AD graduates will also be accepted for application for posts requiring a diploma / higher certificate / certificate in a specialised field if the AD qualification is in the same or relevant field. Besides, AD holders may also apply for disciplined services grades with entry qualification requirements set at sub-degree / 2A3O / School Certificate or below levels. In sum, there are more than 80 civil service grades which accept applications from AD graduates.
Since the release of the "Report on Phase 2 Review of the Post-secondary Education Sector" in 2008, the Government has been taking active measures in enhancing recognition of sub-degree qualification. For civil service appointment, the Civil Service Bureau has issued a memorandum to all government departments, clearly articulating that qualification of AD graduates is broadly equivalent to HD qualification. In addition, the Education Bureau has invited representatives from post-secondary institutions to introduce sub-degree programmes in briefing sessions organised for government departments to enhance their understanding on sub-degree qualifications and to promote the recognition of sub-degree qualifications.
Regarding part (b) of the question, the Chief Executive has announced earlier the creation of over 60,000 jobs through expediting major and minor infrastructure projects, advancing the recruitment of civil servants and creating temporary jobs.
On advancing civil service recruitment, the Government plans to recruit 7,700 civil servants to fill the vacancies in the remaining months of 2008-09 (since December 2008) and 2009-10. The entry qualifications of the posts concerned are set on the basis of the operational needs of individual grades. Among these posts, about 1,200 posts require degree or professional qualifications. Of the remaining 6,500 posts, AD graduates may apply for about 4,300 posts requiring entry academic qualifications at sub-degree, 2A3O, School Certificate level or below. Besides, about 2,200 posts requiring a diploma, higher certificate or certificate in a specified field may also accept applications from AD graduates of the same or relevant field. The monthly salary of each post depends on the starting salary of individual ranks. AD holders appointed to civil service posts requiring sub-degree qualification are remunerated at Master Pay Scale point 13 (currently at $18,885 per month) as the benchmark entry point. AD holders appointed to disciplined services officer ranks with multiple entry points are remunerated at the entry points for sub-degree qualifications. For instance, the starting salaries of AD graduates appointed as Police Inspector and Station Officer of the Fire Services Department are $30,370 and $28,705 per month respectively.
On expediting major and minor infrastructure projects, the Government and the Housing Authority will raise the capital works expenditure in 2009-10 to provide over 55,000 jobs, of which about 5,200 are for professional / technical staff and over 50,000 are for labourers. As regards the plan to create about 4,000 temporary jobs, most of the jobs will be provided by the Hospital Authority, non-governmental organisations and service contractors, etc. Since the recruitment of these jobs will be conducted by the organisations concerned, the Government is unable to provide information on the entry qualification requirements of these jobs.
Regarding part (c) of the question, the Government conducts a summer internship programme each year to offer summer internship placements to local students enrolled in full-time post-secondary programmes, including students undertaking AD programmes. The internship programme aims to familiarise interns with the work of the Government and the recruiting departments concerned and to provide them with work experience in their field of studies or interest. The recruiting departments would make use of the websites of the Civil Service Bureau and their respective departments as well as the Joint Institution Job Information System to make available the information of the internship placements. The Government has no plan at this stage to create internship or temporary posts which only accept applications from holders of AD qualification.
Ends/Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:18
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