The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR) partnered with the “10x1000” Tech for Inclusion Programme to launch the world’s first joint course this year, allowing more than 100 foremost students who are enrolled in the Master of Science in Financial Technology programme (MSCFT) to fulfil part of the course requirement after completing certain modules of the “10x1000” online courses. Some students commented that the “10x1000” course is simple and easy to understand. Even if you are not a “Tech Person”, you can be one in the pool after completing it. One of the students had been inspired by the course, adding unique elements to her own NFT products which had achieved an initial success. There were also students who plan to stay in Hong Kong or further develop their career in the Greater Bay Area after graduation. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at a university in Canada, Pan Zhihang (Chris), a student of this course, returned to Hong Kong for development. Chris said “I think the 10x1000 course is not too difficult, as long as you learn more about it. Compared to some online financial technology courses which usually take two to three hours, the 10x1000 videos are relatively short, and you can watch them even during travel. There are some areas in financial technology which our Master programme does not cover, and the 10x1000 course is a very good complement for the programme.” Another student, Mok Wai Fan (Fanny), who is an entrepreneur, expressed that even if she is not a "Tech Person", she could become a "Tech Person" after completing this course, and the 10x1000 course has helped her a lot. Fanny has been inspired by this course that she had improved her innovative "product" to make it more unique. “The biggest insight that 10x1000 gave me is the quiz after watching the videos in each module, which allows students to have unlimited attempts, apart from explaining the profound theories in simple ways. People will make mistakes. As for learning process, if we cannot do it once, then try it twice or even three times. As long as one is willing to try, she will definitely achieve 100%,” said Fanny. Fanny added, “This will give students a sense of satisfaction. I applied this in the promotion of my original NFT products to attract more children or adults with less artistic talent, stimulating their interest in integrating art with technology.” Although the related product is still in the preliminary stage, Fanny revealed “It can be said to be an initial success. At least for the time being, there are already customers who are willing to buy our NFT with $200,000.” Chris, who is only 27 years old, predicted that he will not start a business within ten years, and emphasized that accumulating working experience is more important. He said “I plan to stay in Hong Kong after graduation and choose to work in finance or financial technology field, such as data analysis. I think Hong Kong, as the window of Mainland China to the outside world, will develop very well in the future. I may also work in the Greater Bay Area, since my family lives in Guangzhou, and it is convenient to travel between these two cities. Those big cities like Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Guangzhou have synergy effects, and thus the prospects of working in Greater Bay Area are good.” This course is the world's first joint course with a university since the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Alipay jointly announced the "10x1000 Tech for Inclusion" charity initiative and the launch of the financial technology talent cultivation platform in 2018. This joint course is also an achievement of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between CEFAR and Ant Group in the middle of last year, which aims to cultivate young Fintech talents in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, and promote the establishment and development of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology center through cross-field collaboration amongst government, industry, academia and research. Professor Chun Kwong Chan, CEFAR, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK remarked, “Since the signing of MOU in June last year to launch the ‘10×1000’ campus version, after in-depth discussions, the two parties decided to integrate three topics closely related to financial technology, namely the background of financial technology, blockchain applications and artificial intelligence applications as the content of the co-branded course and incorporated the relevant training modules into a core course – ‘Advanced Financial Infrastructure’ of the MSCFT programme taught by me, through which the students can understand how technology supports and changes the development of financial infrastructure.” Ms. Jennifer Tan, the person in charge of the 10x1000 project, added, "As of the end of last year, the total number of 10x1000 graduates, coming from 92 different countries or regions around the world, has reached 2,808. More than 40 experts and scholars from about 20 countries or regions contributed to the course design and development. Their expertise and experience have enhanced the thinking, knowledge and skills of the learners, thereby equipping them to become a new generation of leaders in the digital economy. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to CUHK for its efforts and cooperation to offer the world's first co-branded course jointly developed by 10x1000 and a higher education institution. Without the support of partners and academic staff from all over the world like CUHK, 10x1000 would not be able to achieve its goal of cultivating hundreds of scientific and technological talents in various places every year.” There was a total of 1,741 learners completing the Fintech Foundation Programme or the Fintech Expert Programme under 10x1000 last year, and the number of graduates has increased by more than 63% as compared with 2021. Among them, 115 graduates are Hong Kong locals from various organizations. After completing the Foundation Programme and passing the tests, learners can join the 10x1000 Alumni Association for network building and knowledge exchange with industry mentors and learners worldwide, laying a solid foundation for future career development in related fields.
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