24th October 2026 – (Hong Kong) The government’s Maritime and Aviation Training Fund now carries a total commitment of HK$500 million after years of top-ups, and by September had reached more than 24,000 students and serving practitioners — a pipeline Transport and Logistics Bureau secretary Mable Chan cast as the bedrock of Hong Kong’s sea and air industries.
Writing in her blog today, Ms Chan said education and talent underpin a city’s rise and its industries’ next leap, and that steady public spending remains the foundation of training whether the career path is maritime or aviation. The fund, launched in 2014, has also drawn more than 140,000 attendances at industry-promotion events, spreading the message beyond those already enrolled on courses.
This year’s Policy Address puts new weight on a Hong Kong Maritime Academy and a “school-enterprise collaboration” model. Partners are to include well-known maritime institutes at home and abroad as well as leading international shipping companies. Officials will work closely with the trade to map cross-sector career pathways, lift the profession’s image and pull in younger recruits over the long run — a reply to concerns that shipping still struggles to look like a first-choice job for school-leavers.
Classroom outreach is already widening. A school-based logistics curriculum rolled out in March last year; this October it expanded into maritime studies through a Maritime Professional Education Resource Centre that offers themed teaching kits, school talks and field visits so primary and secondary pupils meet modern logistics and shipping earlier. Job-shadowing and a modern logistics internship scheme separately place secondary and tertiary students inside logistics firms to see day-to-day operations.
On the aviation side, the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy enters its tenth academic year in 2026/27. By August more than 450,000 attendances had been recorded on professional programmes covering airport management, security and aviation services. The academy is studying specialised C919 courses with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and related maintenance organisations, spanning flight, maintenance and aviation management. About 40 technicians at local maintenance firms are already qualified to service the mainland-built jet — a small but concrete bridge between Hong Kong’s training machine and the next generation of commercial aircraft.
