Hong Kong Customs has long attached great importance to staff training and is committed to providing Hong Kong youth with opportunities for their growth and development. The department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vocational Training Council (VTC) on April 26 and commenced co-operation in enhancing Customs officers' training in professional areas. Both sides will also jointly promote Customs work to VTC students who aspire to join the disciplined services, and promote "Customs YES", with an aim to broaden students' vision and motivate them to serve the community.
The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, and the Executive Director of the VTC, Mr Donald Tong, witnessed the signing of the MoU by the Deputy Commissioner (Management and Strategic Development) of Customs, Mr Chan Tsz-tat, and Deputy Executive Director of the VTC Ms Alaina Shum. Through co-operation, the department will support the VTC in incorporating fundamental knowledge such as Customs duties, responsibilities and scopes of work into the curriculum of the VTC's full-time Higher Diploma Programme in Management for Disciplined Services (HD Programme). The department will also arrange to introduce recruitment information to students of the HD Programme and encourage them to join Customs upon graduation. Students will also have the opportunity to join activities by "Customs YES" for unleashing their potential, cultivating positive values and strengthening their sense of belonging to society. Under the co-operation framework, the VTC will provide assistance to enhance Customs trainings in various professional areas for effective enforcement.
Ms Ho expressed her gratitude to the VTC for supporting Customs training and recruitment of new Customs personnel with potential and commitment. She emphasised that the MoU would serve as a wider platform for both sides to jointly nurture talent and deepen training co-operation.
Mr Tong said that the MoU represented an important milestone signifying closer co-operation between the two sides in respect of vocational and professional education and training. He thanked Hong Kong Customs for supporting the VTC and vocational and professional education and training, and believed that the co-operation would enable students of the VTC to gain a deeper understanding of Customs work, which would be conducive to their career planning and development.
Ends/Monday, April 29, 2024
