CABE HQ Management Visit to Hong Kong

CABE’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Mr. Richard Harral and Chief Operating Officer Mrs. Jackie Macaulay conducted a management visit to Hong Kong between 27 November – 1 December 2023. 

During their visit, they met with the British Consulate, local professional bodies, and communities.
They were also invited by the Buildings Department, HKSAR, and local academic partners for official meetings and functions. 

CABE CPD Events

During their visit, Jackie and Richard both got the opportunity to meet CABE members and enjoyed discussing the challenges and opportunities within the construction industry. 

Richard was delighted to present a CPD seminar to seventy participants including CABE Members and professional colleagues. He discussed the UK’s new duty-holding regime and explained how the introduction of new responsibilities for designers, contractors and other professionals is changing the face of the UK’s construction sector. 

Jackie was also given the opportunity to share valuable advice to CABE Members on how they can attain Engineering Council’s Chartered Engineer registration and Society for the Environment’s Chartered Environmentalist registration.

CABE’s Shared Mission and Vision with the Buildings Department, HKSAR 

During the visit, Richard and Jackie, accompanied by Hong Kong Chapter Chair Mr. Kyran Sze, met with the Buildings Department of HKSAR.

CABE Members in Hong Kong are proactively supporting the Buildings Department’s mission to promote building safety and are setting and enforcing safety, health and environmental standards for private buildings, as well as improving the quality of building development. 

Reciprocally, CABE’s Asia Pacific conference held in February 2023 was strongly supported by the Building Department, and some professional and technical staff members have proactively taken part in CABE CPD events to build up their specialist knowledge and deepen their expertise of the construction industry.

CABE and PolyU SPEED Forge International Academic Partnership

CABE and the School of Professional Education and Executive Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU SPEED) have embarked on a new academic partnership, marking a significant milestone in the field of building engineering education.

The partnership was officially inaugurated at an “International Academic Partnership Engagement Ceremony” where a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by Mr. Richard Harral and Dr. Simon Cheung, Head of College of Professional and Continuing Education under the witness of CABE Hong Kong General Committee Members. This MOU signifies the commitment between CABE and PolyU SPEED to foster collaboration in continuing education and academic research.

As an international academic partner of CABE, PolyU SPEED will provide students with a platform to kick-start their professional journey, gain practical experience, and build the necessary networks for their future careers.

CABE Work with VTC SHAPE Closer 

Mr. Richard Harral and Mr. Kyran Sze visited the School of Higher and Professional Education, Vocational Training Council (VTC SHAPE) to look at how to strengthen the collaboration and support for their
CABE-accredited courses provided by the Coventry University and University of Central Lancashire.

They visited Dr. YK Chau and Ir. Dr. Paul Wong of VTC SHAPE to learn more about SHAPE’s engineering disciplines, areas of internationalisation, industry partnerships, quality assurance, accreditation, student industrial placements and graduate employment. 

VTC SHAPE is a key working partner of CABE, and both Richard and Kyran highlighted further possible collaborations between the two organisations, including areas which could bring benefits to students who are engaging in built-environment programmes locally and overseas, with the goal to help them respond to the engineering industry needs now and in the future.

CABE Presence at Graduation Ceremony of CityU SCOPE and Annual Luncheon of the Hong Kong College of Technology 

Both Richard and Jackie were honoured to attend in the graduation ceremony – organised by the campus of School of Continuing and Professional Education, City University of Hong Kong (CityU SCOPE) – to witness more than 70 students who had completed their Bachelor of Science (Hons) degrees in Construction Management or Quantity Surveying with the University of Wolverhampton (UW). They, accompanied by Mr. Kyran Sze, also attended the annual cocktail and luncheon at the Hong Kong College of Technology, during which they connected with many representatives from allied institutes of the engineering sectors. 

Throughout their management visit to Hong Kong, Richard and Jackie were pleased to discover that our committed CABE Hong Kong members share the same goal to drive professional standards and they continue to consolidate and deepen the exchange of ideas with their local engineering counterparts. 

Richard Harral will accompany CABE President Mr. Richard Smith on a Presidential visit to Asia Pacific Region in mid-April 2024 and look forward to meeting with members throughout the APAC region.