On 28 September 2023, YCCECE Vice-President Dr Frank Lam and faculty staff received a visit from MTR Academy, a subsidiary of MTR Corporation. The group was led by Dr. Mark Ho, Dean of MTR Academy.  The purpose of the meeting was to explore areas of possible collaboration between the two post-secondary institutes.

We shared Yew Chung’s educational legacy and how YCCECE became Asia’s first and only specialist ECE degree-awarding institution. We toured our living laboratory – Pamela Peck Discovery Space (PPDS) and offered insights into learning through play, trusting and respecting the child, parent/caregiver involvement, and our unique positioning to bring play into the community through our Mobile / Pop-up PPDS project.

MTR Academy was established for seven years and currently, it has many campuses, with the main one located in Hung Hom. They offer several accredited programmes in ‘Railway Engineering’, ‘Transport Operations & Management’, and ‘Transport Studies’ to name a few.

Several common interests were found as we discussed our expertise regarding play,  intergenerational engagements, and community outreach. Even at a college level, some synergies were identified in regard to the recruitment of students locally and abroad for such unique educational targets.

Both parties expressed their interest in collaborating at different levels. The exchange was fruitful and inspiring. Next, we look forward to visiting the MTR Academy and learning even more ways we can begin our work together to benefit the community.