Shifting gears
Hong Kong’s many vocational education institutions are open to any and all who wish to learn a new trade, be it anything from construction to cooking. Here, five former students reflect on how the varied qualifications on offer have changed the course of
Hong Kong is home to nearly 20 degree-awarding institutions, of which eight are publicly funded universities. In this wellheeled international hub, however, not everyone is suited to traditional modes of education. Thankfully, there are ways for residents to train in the essential skilled work that the city needs. One path is through the Vocational Training Council, a local organisation that takes in more than 200,000 students per year and covers a wide range of courses, from hairdressing, Chinese medicine and automotive repair, to animation and digital visual effects.
Over the period of unrest, when the city was hit by protests followed by a pandemic, Hongkongers have seen stable job markets waver and no small number have had to improvise their career choices.
But success need not be measured in degrees, and these five Hongkongers prove that even the unlikeliest of transitions are possible. Vocational training has been their lifeline, and others in uncertain situations can draw inspiration from them. “When I pass by a new public green space I mark it down so I can go there again,” says landscape architect Miki Choy Mei-ki. “My favourite is the Cadogan Street Temporary Garden, in Kennedy Town. It’s just a grassy area with trees.”
It may sound simple but in one of the world’s most densely populated cities, the words “green” and “space” are sacred. And it is Choy’s mission to keep such locations growing.
Choy started her career in the communications field, having crossed the border to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications at Jinan University, in Guangzhou, in 2012.
“I chose communications because I enjoyed studying it and in every class I felt I was learning something new and practical,” she says.
In her third year she did a two-month internship at Ta Kung Pao newspaper, in the education section, but she found it monotonous. After completing her degree, in 2016, she returned to Hong Kong and worked with the director of television dramas at TVB as a production assistant.
“I just wanted to try different jobs so I did that one,” she says, “but the career path was going toward being a director and I didn’t want to do that.”
She recalled that at the newspaper she’d interviewed a landscape architecture instructor for a competition run by the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and was curious to learn more about it. So, in 2017, she enrolled, graduating last May.
“Landscape architecture is a challenge because everything is on a big scale,” she says. “With journalism, you need someone to read your article before you can engage with them, but if you sit on a park bench, you are already engaging with a landscape architect.”
Last year, she started working with a local supplier of outdoor furniture, liaising with architects and developers on the best products to use for their spaces and installing them safely around the city. Now she is starting a job as an assistant modeller at an engineering consulting company, drawing digital plans that can be rendered in 3D. Mastering this new software means she can envision her ideal public space in Hong Kong before it becomes a reality.
“Public space reflects the lifestyle of the city,” she says. “It should be spacious enough for residents to engage in various community activities.”