Abstract
The information technology industry has been identified as a priority industry for development in Hong Kong. Within this sector, there are a growing number of “new collar” jobs that may not require a traditional four-year degree. However, these jobs require a combination of technical and soft skills that are not often taught in secondary schools. The Applied Learning course titled “Tech Basics” was introduced to five secondary schools in 2019. It has the unique feature of bringing together secondary schools, a local public university, and industry partners in curriculum design and program delivery, to provide students with work-integrated learning. The curriculum includes authentic work environment exposure components such as company visits, mentorship programs, industry-led project competitions, and internships. This paper is a case study presenting detailed information on the program’s model of work-integrated learning as. well as its evaluation. It explains the different roles of secondary schools, higher education institutes, and industry partners. To assess the impact of the program, three rounds of surveys were conducted among students taking the course and a control group over a three-year period. The theoretical framework of work integrated learning and mentoring was reviewed. Survey results and additional qualitative data are presented. Feedback from secondary school teachers and mentors from the industry is analyzed. Challenges for the future development of the Tech Basics course are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
The Tech Basics Applied Learning course and the collection of data reported in this paper was generously funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.
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The collection of data reported in the study was generously funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. In no event shall the Funder have any liability of any kind to any person or entity arising from or related to any actions taken or not taken as a result of any of the contents herein. No funding was received for the preparation of this manuscript.
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The four authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by Mandy Tse and Andrew Ho. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Florin Serban and was commented by Kara Chan. Mandy Tse and Andrew Ho contributed to the data analysis. Kara Chan and Jasmine Zhang, the senior research assistant, prepared the revised manuscripts and the responses to reviewers’ comments. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Data collection was commissioned to a market research company that followed international compliance with data protection laws, regulation and rules. Participants signed an informed consent covering questionnaires for the entire period prior to data collection. Consent for interviews and qualitative data collection was collected verbally by the commissioned market research company.
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Chan, K., Serban, F.C., Tse, M. et al. Impact of collaboration with ICT industry partners on secondary students’ knowledge, attitudes, and IT competence. Educ Inf Technol 29, 5259–5282 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12036-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12036-5