Esperanza calls for initiatives to build Hong Kong talent pool with digital

HONG KONG, Oct. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Esperanza, a charitable organisation established in 2018 to advocate new ways to learn, live and work, calls for the reskilling and upskilling of Hong Kong’s talent pool with the support of digital technologies. The initiative was rolled out at Esperanza’s Edventures Global Business Acceleration (GBA) Summit held today. More than 30 experts and innovators in education technology (EdTech) from around the world took part in this one-day hybrid event, offering insights and best practices on how digital technologies can facilitate talent development and propel the transformation of Hong Kong as a digital economy. The Summit was organised in partnership with the University of Hong Kong.

“Talent development is central to the sustainable development of every society. To address the acute talent shortages across different sectors, it is high time to kick start a skill building movement in Hong Kong as an integral part of the city’s post-COVID recovery strategy,” said John C. Tsang, Founder of Esperanza.

Tsang was joined by other guests in the opening: Prof Ian Holliday, Vice President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning), The University of Hong Kong; Loretta Fong, GBA and Hong Kong ESG Services Leader, PwC Hong Kong and Bill Lee, Managing Director, JobsDB Hong Kong. They underscored the value of education technology (EdTech) in making learning more accessible, flexible, scalable, engaging, personalised and effective. “Technology is disrupting almost every sector. It is time we apply technology to innovate how we learn,” said Tsang at the opening.

A New World of Learning

Dr. Michael Fung, Executive Director, the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE), Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico opened the Summit with his vision on the future of learning. “Shifting demographics, longevity, multiple careers, globalization cum localisation, digital transformation and the COVID-19 pandemic are disrupting the future of work. We need to create a new paradigm for education moving from front-loaded to life-long learning, creating multiple pathways, integrating work and study, empowering individuals, and anticipating the skills required as we move from digital economy to green economy and care economy, ” said Dr. Fung.

Ben Nelson, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Minerva Project and Chancellor of Minerva University echoed Dr. Fung: “Educational institutions largely teach us things that are not important for us to know and do so in a way that we don’t actually remember.” Widely recognised as the most innovative university in the world, Minerva develops students’ foundational and transferrable skills based on research on the science of learning and a data-driven approach. Nelson believed that the future of education should go back to the basics, with the learner being able to apply what they have learned, no matter what they encounter.

Talent Development Trends In Asia

Moderated by Bill Lee, Managing Director of JobsDB Hong Kong, the panel “Talent Development Trends and Needs in Asia” showcased speakers in the region: Sandeep Aneja, Founder and Managing Partner of Kaizenvest; Frank Koo, Head of Asia, Talent & Learning…