Following the Summer Congregation held in July this year, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is now holding its 33^rd Winter Congregation, conferring academic awards on more than 3,600 graduates.

At the ceremony, HKMU President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing congratulated the graduates for completing their studies and embarking on their new journey in life. He stated that the University has been actively developing its professional degree programmes in recent years. Despite the challenges posed by the declining number of secondary school graduates, this year's undergraduate intake increased by 35% compared to the previous year, and the number of new taught postgraduate students almost doubled, indicating that the University's programmes are in line with the needs of society and provide clear career pathways for students.

Prof. Lam expressed his gratitude for the Government's tremendous support to the University. With total funding of HK$73 million from the Education Bureau last year, the University launched two new programmes, namely the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, and the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in New Music and Interactive Entertainment, to meet the demand for talent in the related industries.

Prof. Lam said, “The University will continue to reinforce its unique positioning to provide professional education in the arts, sciences and social sciences, and to draw on the successful “Universities of Applied Sciences” model in Europe to nurture high-calibre professionals to address the needs of our rapidly developing society.”

The world is changing much faster than ever before, and many professions are likely to be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). In this regard, Prof. Lam highlighted the University’s commitment to ensuring that its graduates will be able to adapt to and benefit from this “intellectual revolution”, driven by AI. He emphasised that qualities such as empathy, kindness and trust can hardly be imitated by AI, and that “integrity” will be the key attribute that will distinguish outstanding professionals. “The University has always promoted and nurtured in its students the value of “integrity”, which should be embraced by all graduates,” he said. He encouraged the graduates to be confident and to contribute to the wider community as they embark on this new chapter in their lives.

Starting in 2023, the University will hold Congregations in both Summer and Winter so that all graduates can attend and invite their family and friends to witness their academic achievements. The Winter Congregation this year is being held from 4 to 9 December and consists of 21 sessions over six days.