Giving to VTC

Students’ unions play a leadership role in tertiary institutions. At Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Sha Tin), the Students’ Union has established scholarships and exchange fund in its name to encourage active participation of the students in extra-curricular activities and develop their leadership talent. Through the Scholarship, it hopes to sow the seeds for the spirit of benefitting others to take root within the student population, VTC and the society as well as enabling more students to benefit. Ben Ho, the immediate past Chairman of the Students’ Union, said: “One of our scholarship objectives is to plant a seed in the hearts of fellow students and let it grow, hoping they will help others after experiencing the benefits themselves.”

Passing on the legacy of gratitude

Besides monetary donations, every person can benefit others by harnessing their unique strengths. “I used the scholarship funds to participate in an external competition on building a smart city. In this process, my teammates and I designed a mobile app helping drivers to find parking meters and parking space, with a view of improving our city and lives. If every scholarship awardee can offer a donation when they are able to do so, it will enable many more other students to benefit and much more can be done to benefit society. The overall outcome will be incredible!” said Ben.

Building harmony together

Mandy Pang, currently Chairman of the Students’ Union, believes the idea is beneficial to the three parties - the students, the Institute and the society. “This spirit epitomises a virtuous cycle by which our alumni provide assistance for our students, who will in turn help others upon their graduation. Spreading far and wide, this legacy will not only ensure assistance for our needy students but also strengthen the sense of belonging among our students and alumni towards alma mater. This infectious spirit can unite everybody and reinforce social harmony.”


 

{ Going the extra mile for students }

The mission of VTC staff is to foster the whole-person development of students, grooming them into professionals. Besides imparting vocational skills, they willingly bear a greater commitment towards students and offer more support to address their needs. Many of our staff lead by example with their selfless contributions, hoping to support students’ needs through scholarships and bursaries so as to boost their self-confidence and spur them on to perform better. Below are some of their sharings:
 

Offering opportunities and encouragement

“As a teacher, I came across some students with plenty of talents and potential but who felt inferior over their less outstanding academic results and family backgrounds. For students undergoing a crucial phase of physical and mental developments, what they need is an opportunity and encouragement, to reignite their self-confidence and unleash their potential.”

Building self-confidence

“As the saying goes, ’One learns more from travelling 10,000 miles than reading 1,000 books.’ I have seen how some students became more proactive and self-confident upon returning from overseas exchanges, as if they were transformed totally. I hope that through the donations raised, we can provide students with more opportunities to travel abroad, hoping that they come to understand themselves and the world better in the process and constantly seek to improve themselves after the experience and influence their peers positively.”

Let more people benefit

“I hope our students could apply what they have learned after completing their education to benefit the next generation or their peers. More people would benefit through the multiplier effect of this practice.”

 

Doing one’s best

“Apart from the support of community leaders provided to VTC over the years, we can also do our bit as stakeholders of the organisation and make contributions in any form. Our individual contributions may be small, but their cumulative impact can make a real difference to our students’ future.”

Every contribution made by VTC staff is unique and reflects love and caring concern for the students. Their selfless contributions are exemplary and hopefully, will inspire the recipients to do the same and give back to society after finishing their education and pass on this legacy to brighten the lives of more people.


 

{ Happy Duckie }

VTC is committed to providing quality vocational education and training to nurture professionals required by various industries. To continue this legacy and ensure the benefits are passed on to the future generations, the Happy Duckie alumni programme has played an active role in raising donations for the VTC Student Development Foundation. As a part of the fundraising campaign, alumni are called upon to give back to their alma mater in support of the current students on their learning journey.