Mrs Carrie Yau, GBS, JP

    Mrs Carrie Yau

    Advisor, Our Hong Kong Foundation
    Honorary Doctorate of Education, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
    Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law, Northumbria University, UK
    Bachelor of Social Sciences and Master of Arts of the University of Hong Kong
    Industrial Fellow, University of Warwick, UK 
    Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS)
    Justice of the Peace (JP)

    Mrs Carrie Yau possesses rich experience in public administration and management. She was the Executive Director of the Vocational Training Council (VTC) from 2013 to 2021, leading the VTC in advancing vocational and professional education and training (VPET) as well as furthering the development of the Council, offering some 200,000 learners every year the opportunity to upgrade themselves with vocational credentials as recognised professionals.

    Mrs Yau is committed to promoting skills excellence, youth development, and forging strategic collaboration with industry and international partners. Under her leadership, the VTC has fully embraced new technologies immersing them into revised curricula and pedagogies supported by new facilities to ensure excellence in teaching and learning in the digital era. To document the contribution of VPET for economic growth, Mrs Yau has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers Hong Kong in publishing “Vocational and Professional Education and Training - Shaping the Future of Work” engaging partners in the Mainland including Greater Bay Area cities in promoting VPET. She also led VTC in hosting international conferences and student exchanges including the VPET International Conference in 2017 & 2020; and the few WorldSkills Hong Kong Competitions cum Carnivals as well as VTC-ITE International Student Seminars. Such events aim to widen students’ international perspectives and achieve skills benchmark on par with their global counterparts.

    Mrs Yau has served on numerous boards and committees in the commerce, industry and education sectors, including the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Council, Employees Retraining Board, Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Steering Committee on Promotion of Vocational and Professional Education and Training and Qualifications Framework. Currently, she is the Official Delegate of WorldSkills Hong Kong responsible to bring young persons to compete in 46th Worldskills International Competition hosted by Shanghai in October 2022. Following her own publication of “One Of The Four Desperados: Mr Yau Lit” (Chinese version only), she has become Advisor of the newly established Hong Kong Halls of Commons aspiring to support the national Chinese Renaissance movement.

    Mrs Yau started her career as an Administrative Officer in the Hong Kong Government in 1977. She then served major policy areas in security, building and lands, education and manpower, transport, health and food safety. She was Deputy Secretary for Security from 1995 to 1997, Director of Administration from 1997 to 2000, Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting from 2000 to 2002, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food from 2002 to 2007, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs from 2007 to 2010. The major assignments handled by Mrs Yau included crisis management subject areas like Vietnamese Boat People, SARS, avian flu; and coordination of international events including 2000 ITU Telecom Asia, 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events and 2009 East Asian Games.

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