Hong Kong Metropolitan University Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKMU LiPACE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today (21 October) with Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) of Finland and Edunation, a Finnish organization that facilitates students' access to Finnish education system to enhance academic and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Finland.

The MOU provides a framework of collaboration in areas such as developing educational opportunities for students in LiPACE and TUSA, developing a path for LiPACE students to study at TUSA of Finland and promoting closer ties between the two places through exchange visits, summer camps and any other academic activities that are mutually beneficial.

An articulation agreement was also signed on the same occasion to facilitate the transfer and degree completion of students having earned the Higher Diploma in Early Childhood Education at HKMU LiPACE to the Bachelor of Social Services in Early Childhood Education and Care at TUAS. This is the very first step in the collaboration which will lead to many new joint initiatives between the two institutions.

“Our university has been retitled Hong Kong Metropolitan University since September 1 this year. It signifies the beginning of a new era for the university in its thirty-and-so years of history. We are pleased that in the first few months of the university's new incarnation, LiPACE, one of the seven schools of the university and a school with the mission of training applied professionals in response to the manpower needs of the economy and society, is entering into collaboration today with Turku University of Applied Sciences, a university that has strong ties with working life and regional development in Finland”, HKMU President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing said.

TUAS is an innovative and multidisciplinary higher education institution which provides high quality and flexible training and consulting services for both individuals and organizations in the public and private sector in Finland, while LiPACE is an established Vocational Professional Education and Training (VPET) provider with “Advancing VPET and Lifelong Learning for All” as one of its missions. Both institutions have a strong vocational emphasis and play a significant role in training professionals in response to the manpower needs of labour market. The signing of the MOU signifies both institutions' shared intent to promote the advancement of academic excellence and cross-cultural understanding between Finland and Hong Kong.

About HKMU:
Established by the Government in 1989, Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) is a modern full-fledged university today. The University offers programmes of different academic levels through its seven Schools, focusing on developing practical and professional programmes to meet society’s talent needs. With the Legislative Council’s approval, it was retitled from “The Open University of Hong Kong” to “Hong Kong Metropolitan University” on 1 September 2021. The new title shows the unique position of the University in metropolitan Hong Kong and signifies the University's path of transformation and its strategic focuses.

For more details, please visit the HKMU website: www.hkmu.edu.hk

About the LiPACE:
TThe Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE) is one of the seven constituent schools of Hong Kong Metropolitan University. Originally established in 1992 as the Centre for Continuing and Community Education (CCCE) and renamed as LiPACE in 2000, it has carried out its original mission of serving the broadest range of learners in HK. LiPACE is now an established Vocational Professional Education and Training (VPET) provider of full-time post-secondary education and part-time professional and continuing education as well as corporate training. At the same time, it advances non-formal learning through its two flagship programmes for women and senior learners, the Capacity Building Mileage Programme (CBMP) and the Elderly Academy at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (EAMU).

LiPACE website: https://www.hkmu.edu.hk/lipace