The opening of the Admiralty Learning Centre will enhance City University's position as a "staunch supporter and one of the key providers of life-long education" in Hong Kong, said Mrs Fanny Law, Secretary for Education and Manpower at the opening ceremony on 9 February. The University's School of Continuing and Professional Education has set up the new centre on HK Island to meet the ever-increasing demand for continuing education in the knowledge-based economy.

Well equipped with state-of-the-art computer facilities and audio-visual equipment, the new Centre, located at the nerve centre of Hong Kong's business world, is ideal for executive training, particularly in the booming areas of information technology, banking and financial services.

In his opening remarks, President H K Chang reiterated CityU's raison d'etre: "by the city, in the city and for the city," and said the new venture reflects our commitment to providing learning opportunities for the community at large. Since its inception in 1991 with a few staff and a handful of courses, SCOPE has now grown to the point where it offers a total of 252 programmes (catering to more than 23,000 learners), from short courses, through continuing education certificate courses to fully-fledged degree programmes up to doctorate level.

At the ceremony's close, SCOPE presented Mrs Law a gift as a token of appreciation for her role as the officiating guest. The gift--a set of vouchers to enrol in SCOPE's on-line courses--drew a few chuckles from the audience. It both showcased the strength of SCOPE's newest endeavour and, perhaps, matched the recipient's immediate needs at work: stress management, expert negotiation and conflict resolution, to name a few.

SCOPE Admiralty Learning Centre: Facts and Figures
- Floor space: 21,969 square feet
- Facilities: 16 rooms, including a 124-seat lecture theatre; a press room (with simultaneous interpretation facilities); and 3 executive training rooms; 3 computer laboratories, each with 30 computer terminals on wireless LAN; and
3 seminar rooms.