Graduates of top vocational school spared brunt of AI impact, new chairman says

Graduates of Hong Kong’s largest vocational training institution have largely avoided the negative effects of AI and could reap more internship opportunities from a coming megaproject, the body’s new leader has said.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, newly appointed Vocational Training Council (VTC) chairman Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung also vowed to review the courses to align them with emerging job opportunities.

The government earlier revealed that entry-level jobs for university graduates had plunged by 61 per cent in recent years, sparking an intense debate about the value of traditional degrees versus practical skills in an economy increasingly driven by artificial intelligence.

“Ninety per cent of our graduates have got a job … We have a lot of AI courses, and we can custom-make courses for different industries,” Lam, a member of the government’s key decision-making Executive Council, said.

“AI will not replace human beings. Don’t think AI will replace all the workers and management. We have to keep it up and learn from AI.”