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 students who enter public sector schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) directly, EDB provides schools with a School-based Support Scheme Grant for them. EDB also provides subsidies for non-governmental organisations to run a 60-hour Induction Programme which covers personal development, social adaptation as well as basic learning skills for these students.

Education for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Children: The Government has in place various support measures to enhance the learning and teaching of NCS students which include inter alia, providing onsite focused support and annual grant to 20 primary and 10 secondary schools designated in the 2011/12 school year, providing a supplementary guide to the Chinese Language curriculum alongside a series of curriculum resources, operating Summer Bridging Programme and Chinese Language Learning Support Centres, implementing the Project of After-school Extended Chinese Learning to reinforce the learning of the Chinese Language of NCS students studying in non-designated schools. To address the aspirations of NCS students for higher education, the UGC-funded institutions have, starting from 2008, provided further flexibility for acceptance of alternative Chinese Language qualification(s) including GCSE (Chinese) for application under specified circumstances under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System.

NCS parents have been informed of the local education system and the educational support services available to NCS students.

Vocational Education: The VTC advises the Government on measures to ensure a comprehensive system of vocational education and training suited to the development and manpower needs of Hong Kong. Vocational education and training services are provided at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), the School of Business and Information Systems (SBI), the Youth College (YC), the Hospitality Industry Training & Development Centre (HITDC), Chinese Cuisine Training Institute (CCTI), Maritime Services Training Institute (MSTI), the Institute of Professional Education and Knowledge (PEAK) and Pro-Act Training and Development Centres. The VTC also institutes, develops and operates various schemes for training operatives, craftsmen, technicians and technologists (including the Apprenticeship Scheme) to sustain and improve industry, commerce and services.

IVE offers courses at higher technician, technician and craft levels leading to the awards of higher diploma, higher certificate, diploma and certificate etc. In order to meet the development needs of the creative industries, the VTC established HKDI in 2007 to bring together the design and related courses of the academic departments of IVE with a view to fostering cross fertilisation and synergy. YC offers various programmes for Secondary 3 and Secondary 5 school leavers. To align with the new senior secondary academic structure, YC introduced a credit based programme, namely Diploma in Vocational Education, in 2009/10 school year for school leavers at or above Secondary 3 level. The education and training provided by these VTC institutions aims to lay a foundation for the students’ continued personal and professional development and to prepare them for employment and/or further education. In the 2011/12 academic year, the VTC has offered about 40 400 full-time and 28 200 part-time student places through its member institutions.

Furthermore, in order to support the provision of a seamless higher education for young people in Hong Kong, the VTC has collaborated with a number of overseas and local universities to offer top-up degree programmes in various study areas to its Higher Diploma graduates. These programmes are administered by the School for Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE), a member institution of VTC.

Qualifications Framework (QF): The QF launched in 2008 provides a transparent and accessible platform to promote lifelong learning and hence enhancing the competitiveness of the workforce in Hong Kong. The QF is a seven-level hierarchy that orders and supports the qualifications of academic, vocational and continuing education sectors, and is underpinned by a robust quality assurance mechanism. All qualifications recognised under the QF are quality-assured.