Alex (Mr Alex WONG, Deputy CEO, Huawei International), Duncan (Hon Duncan CHIU, Legislative Council Member), Hon TANG (Hon TANG Fei, Legislative Council Member), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Good afternoon! It is my great pleasure to join you all at this year’s “Award Ceremony of Huawei ICT Competition 2024-2025 Hong Kong SAR”. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Huawei for organising this competition, which not only provides students with an excellent opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in ICT and nurture Innovation and Technology (I&T) talent, but also paves the way for collaborating various stakeholders in the industry and education sectors in Hong Kong.

In the digital era, digital transformation has become a major trend across industries. To expedite digital transformation in both the public and private sectors, the Government has been stepping up efforts to promote I&T development through an array of measures over the past few years, including the promulgation of the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint to establish a clear development path for Hong Kong’s with the goal of transforming Hong Kong into an international I&T centre. In addition, the Digital Policy Office was established in July this year to take the lead in promoting data-driven, people-centric and outcome-based digital policies within the Government and across various sectors for enhancing the Government’s efficiency and services, with a view to bringing greater benefits to citizens.

I&T talent is crucial in supporting the I&T development in Hong Kong. However, the report on the 2023 Manpower Projection recently published by the Labour and Welfare Bureau estimates that Hong Kong’s I&T sector will face a manpower shortage of 18 000 to 23 000 by 2028 due to the substantial increase in manpower requirements. To address the rising demand for I&T talent, the Government has introduced various initiatives over the years. For example, the Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS) provides a fast-track arrangement for companies to admit non-local technology talent to undertake research and development work in Hong Kong. Besides, the STEM Internship Scheme has been launched to encourage local university students to gain I&T related work experience during their studies and to foster their interest in pursuing a career in I&T after graduation.

To secure the future supply of I&T talent, the Digital Policy Office launched the “IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools” and the “Knowing More about IT” programmes in 2020 and 2021 respectively, and will continue to run these two programmes up to the 2025/26 school year to provide funding support for secondary and primary schools to organise IT-related extra-curricular activities. We aim to cultivate students’ interest in IT and enhance their creative thinking through these programmes. With the tremendous support from schools over the past few years, we can see that the seeds of I&T have already been sown among the students and schools and we will have a good harvest in the future. The Chief Executive proposed in his 2024 Policy Address that the Education Bureau would establish a Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education which is tasked to enhance digital education, renew the Junior Secondary Science Curriculum and provide support for teachers in their adoption of AI in teaching and thus strengthening STEAM education in primary and secondary schools and fostering the integration of I&T into the school curriculum. These efforts will further nurture the I&T capabilities of students and help enrich our I&T talent pool in Hong Kong in the long run.

In closing, I would like to thank Huawei for being a consistent player in talent development, making great contribution in nurturing professionals to meet the evolving demands of digital transformation and aligning with the Government’s commitment to fostering talent. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to all the participating students for their hard work and dedication throughout this competition. I wish all of you great success in your future endeavors and I look forward to seeing your contributions to the development of Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology.

Thank you very much!

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