Carbon Care Asia and HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) joined hands to offer the first “Sustainability Professionals” certificate programme in Hong Kong in two modules – “Sustainability Professionals” and “Climate Competence”. The signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding, held on 14 August 2019, signified the joint effort of the two parties in providing a learning platform for local companies and organisations. The aim is to train and increase the number of sustainability professionals in Hong Kong, as well as to enhance the sustainability performance of the companies and organisations themselves.

Professor William Lee, Director of HKU SPACE, kick-started the event with a welcome speech in which he expressed great enthusiasm for the launch of the new courses. CCA CEO Ir Albert Lai then delivered a keynote speech on “Why Hong Kong needs sustainability professionals – challenges and opportunities in an uncertain era” to explain the significance of these courses for companies. He pointed out that companies will become unsustainable if their current model of operation continues unchanged. Therefore, management teams must adopt professional and strategic measures well in advance. Under the witness of Professor Sonny Lo, Deputy Director (Arts and Science) of HKU SPACE; Dr Bruce Cheung, Head of College of Life Sciences and Technology of HKU SPACE; Ms Chloe Mok, Director of Sustainability Strategy of Carbon Care Asia; and Mr John Sayer, Director of Carbon Care Asia, Professor William Lee and Ir Albert Lai signed the memorandum of understanding to formalise the establishment of the two courses. A toast was then made to the success of the collaboration between the two organisations.

The two modules of this certificate programme will commence simultaneously in October 2019. At the introduction of the syllabuses, Mr John Sayer, CCA Director, highlighted that both local and global sustainability challenges and opportunities will be covered, all the way down to specific industries and the environment as a whole. Through discussion of the origin and the latest trends and development of relevant topics, students will be able to gain knowledge deep and wide, resulting in an enhancement of their capability to respond to corporate sustainability challenges.

Dr Bruce Cheung, Head of College of Life Sciences and Technology, HKU SPACE, announced that the two courses will draw on international experience and case studies to help students develop innovative capabilities in handling operational issues arising from climate change and compliance with sustainability principles.

The two courses are now open for enrolment. For application details please visit:
https://www.hkuspace.hku.hk/prog/cert-for-module-climate-competence
https://www.hkuspace.hku.hk/prog/cert-for-module-sustainability-profs

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Photo captions:

  1. Professor William Lee, Director of HKU SPACE, gave the welcome speech.
  2. Ir Albert Lai, CEO of Carbon Care Asia, delivered a keynote speech on “Why Hong Kong needs sustainability professionals – challenges and opportunities in an uncertain era”.
  3. (From left) Under the witness of Professor Sonny Lo, Deputy Director (Arts and Science) of HKU SPACE; Dr Bruce Cheung, Head of College of Life Sciences and Technology of HKU SPACE; Ms Chloe Mok, Director of Sustainability Strategy of Carbon Care Asia; and Mr John Sayer, Director of Carbon Care Asia, Professor William Lee and Ir Albert Lai signed the memorandum of understanding to officially launch the collaboration programme.
  4. As a souvenir from Carbon Care Asia, Professor Lee received a certificate of carbon offset for six tonnes coming from a solar power project in Gansu Province.
  5. Representatives of Carbon Care Asia and HKU SPACE toasted to the success of the collaboration between the two organisations in nurturing more sustainability professionals for local companies.
  6. Mr John Sayer, Director of Carbon Care Asia, explained the syllabuses of the two modules in the certificate programme.
  7. The ceremony was attended and supported by representatives from different industries, laying a good foundation for the enrolment of the sustainability courses.