(香港，2023年2月19日) 香港工程師學會 (學會) 近日就二○二三／二四年度《財政預算案》向財政司司長提出七大範疇方面的建議。學會期望來年之《財政預算案》能支持政府增加對社會的投資和維護香港經濟，並為香港的經濟復甦發揮正面作用。
學會提出的建議重點如下：
- 人才競爭
- 工程公司參與香港工程師學會培訓計劃（工程畢業生培訓計劃/仲會員培訓計劃）而聘用工程畢業生作為見習生的政府補貼現為5,610 港元，金額已多年未作調整，建議增加至 10,000 港元或以上，增加工程公司聘請畢業生的誘因。
- 為聘請海外畢業生的公司提供為期兩年、每名受僱畢業生約10,000港元的資助，以吸引海外工程人才。
- 審視教育體系、中學課程和大學入學要求，以幫助鼓勵 STEAM 教育並培養本地工程人才庫。
- 推出針對中階工程師專項計劃，以保留人才，緩解人力短缺，促進工程行業可持續發展。
- 學會去年4月發表相關研究報告並詳列建議：Research on Augmenting Engineer Manpower to Cope with the Foreseeable Surge in Demand (內容僅限英語)
- 仔細規劃基建發展
- 制定詳細的基建發展藍圖，訂立未來二十年各個基建項目的優先次序和執行時間表。
- 有關部門應根據成本效益、需求，和社會的急切性，協調和優先安排各種策略規劃路線圖中的項目，務求有效分配和利用資源。
- 加快實施滯後於實際發展的鐵路和交通項目，並總結過往經驗，加以改進，防止嚴重落後問題再次發生。
- 土地和房屋供應
- 將隔離設施改造成過渡性房屋或簡約公屋。
- 發展未開墾土地，解決市區老化和重建等社會問題。
- 審慎理財，考慮推出基建融資和證券化產品。
- 交椅洲人工島作為第三個核心商業區，建議研究發展其行人和單車網絡，並盡量使用公眾填料作為交椅洲人工島的填海材料，以減少由運輸引致的碳足跡。
- 精簡發展流程
- 增加支援滿足一定條件的申請人，加快發展項目審批流程，而政府的角色應在確保質量安全大前提下，除「監管者」外，應增加「促進者」角色。
- 學會去年9月發表相關研究報告並詳列建議：Recommendations on Streamlining Building Works and Infrastructure Development Processes (內容僅限英語)
- 促進創科發展
- 為本地年青研發人才提供更佳的配套，以吸引《香港創新科技藍圖》提出的「新型工業化」戰略所需的人才。
- 允許在香港取得高級文憑/副學位學歷的內地和海外畢業生在港工作。
- 為發展數據中心增撥土地，提升香港轉型為數據中心樞紐和連接內地與外國橋樑的容量和能力。
- 建設智慧、綠色及具抗禦力的城市
- 加快安裝電動汽車快速充電設施，並在新發展區和公共交通交匯處預留安裝充電設施的空間。地政總署可以考慮在賣地及短期租約招標文件條款中，加入適當條款，要求中標者或租戶提供一定數量的電動車充電設施。
- 在確保公共安全的首要原則下，放寬氫能汽車在指定區域測試和使用。
- 透過資助回收業或非政府機構，直接或間接處理較低價值的廢物，並把較高價值的廢物交由回收業直接處理。
- 通過撥出財政資源和增加分配土地予回收行業，刺激回收行業的發展。
- 把握大灣區機遇
- 牽頭與內地有關部門探討專業資格互認，讓更多工程師通過CEPA或其他相關協議在內地執業。
香港工程師學會將繼續貢獻專業工程知識和能力，與各界攜手，建設更美好的香港。
如欲垂詢，請與香港工程師學會傳訊統籌部聯絡。
電話：2895 4446
傳真：2882 6825
(Hong Kong, 20 February 2023) The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (“HKIE”) has recently expressed views and made recommendations to the Financial Secretary for the coming 2023-24 Budget on seven key areas. In essence, the HKIE looks forward to a Budget that enables the Government in taking up an active role in increasing investment into the society and safeguarding the economic/financial strength of Hong Kong and supports the economic rebound of the city.
Key highlights of the HKIE’s recommendations are:
- Competing for Talents
- Increase the governmental subsidy to engineering companies hiring engineering graduates under the HKIE Formal Training Schemes (Scheme “A” / AM Training) as trainees from HK$5,610 (an amount that has not been adjusted for many years) to HK$10,000 or above to provide those companies with a stronger incentive to hire graduates as trainees.
- Offer two-year subsidies of approximately HK$10,000 each to companies that employ overseas graduates to attract engineering talents from abroad.
- Review the education system, secondary education curricula, and university admission requirements to help encourage STEAM education and nurture local engineering talent pool.
- Launch special schemes to support mid-career engineers to help retaining talents, alleviate manpower shortage, and foster the sustainable growth of the engineering industry, which are essential for delivering commitments formulated in the development blueprint.
- Detailed recommendations were made earlier in the HKIE’s report in April 2022: Research on Augmenting Engineer Manpower to Cope with the Foreseeable Surge in Demand (English only)
- Well-planned Infrastructure Development
- Set out a detailed infrastructure blueprint setting out the priority and timeframe of each infrastructure project for the coming two decades.
- Relevant authorities to coordinate and prioritise projects in various strategic planning roadmaps according to cost-effectiveness, demand, capability to address existing social issues to best allocate and utilise available resources.
- Speed up implementation of railway and transportation projects that are behind actual development, and review previous experiences and bring about improvements to guard against recurrence of serious underperformance.
- Land and Housing Supply
- Transform isolation facilities into transitional housing or Light Public Housing.
- Develop greenfield sites to solve social problems such as urban redevelopment to cater for the ageing buildings in the downtown areas.
- Devise prudent financial arrangement and consider launching infrastructure financing securitisation products.
- Study a pedestrian and cycle network that links up the CBD3 at Kau Yi Chau (KYC) Artificial Islands Development and use the surplus public fill as construction materials for KYC reclamation as much as is feasible to reduce carbon footprint in transporting materials for disposal.
- Streamlining Development Processes
- Step up assistance to applicants who satisfy certain necessary criteria to speed up the development and project approval processes, and augmenting the government officials’ role as encompassing not only “regulators” but also “facilitators” on the premise that quality and safety are not compromised.
- Detailed recommendations were made earlier in the HKIE’s report in September 2022: Recommendations on Streamlining Building Works and Infrastructure Development Processes (English only)
- Innovation and Technology Development
- Implement a better package for local and young people to join the research and development field to secure talent required for the New Industrialisation Strategy proposed in the Innovation and Technology Blueprint.
- Allow mainland and overseas graduates of Hong Kong higher diploma/sub-degree programmes to work in Hong Kong.
- Allocate additional land for data centre development to enhance the capacity and capability for Hong Kong’s transformation into a data centre hub and ridge between mainland and foreign countries.
- Building a Smart, Green and Resilient City
- Speed up the installation of quick charger facilities for electric vehicles, and reserve space for such chargers in new development areas and public transport interchange. In particular, a clause could be included in the terms and conditions of the Lands Department for the provision of a certain number of electric vehicle chargers for land sale and short-term tenancies.
- Relax the testing and usage of hydrogen vehicle in designated area under the overriding principle of ensuring public safety.
- Handle waste with lower value directly or indirectly through subsidising the recycling industry or non-governmental organisations, and leave waste with higher value to be handled directly by the recycling industry.
- Incentivise and stimulate businesses for the recycling industry by setting aside financial resources and expanding the land provision for the recycling industry.
- Leveraging Opportunities in the GBA
- Take lead in discussing qualification benchmarking and professional practice with mainland authorities to allow more engineers to practise in the mainland via CEPA or other related agreements.
The HKIE will continue to contribute our professional engineering expertise and join hands with different sectors to support the development of a better Hong Kong.
For media enquiries, please contact:
The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
Corporate Communications Section
Tel: 2895 4446
Fax: 2882 6825
Email:corpcom@hkie.org.hk