News & Events

In response to national policy directives aimed at strengthening services and management for new employment groups within the platform economy—specifically food delivery couriers, express couriers and ride-hailing drivers—The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Society Work Department of the CPC Jinan Municipal Committee and The Keswick Foundation.

Witnessed by Dr Laura LO, Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement) of PolyU (back row, right); Mr GAO Benwei, Deputy Director of the Society Work Department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee (back row, middle); and Mrs Stacey HILDEBRANDT, Governor of The Keswick Foundation (back row, left), the MoU was signed by Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the PolyU Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (front row, right); Mr LIU Yiwu, Deputy Director of the Society Work Department of the CPC Jinan Municipal Committee (front row, middle); and Dr Max WONG, Executive Director of The Keswick Foundation (front row, left). 

The collaboration leverages a unique combination of government, professional, and philanthropic support to advance integrated services for new employment groups. It also seeks to advance the “Social Work + Rehabilitation” interprofessional approach and establish a signature brand for charitable services.

The China and Global Development Network (CGDN) of the Department of Applied Social Sciences will be a key partner in this first pilot scheme under this collaboration in Jinan. It will provide professional supervision and consultancy in social work, participate in service model design, talent cultivation, and evaluation research, and offer academic leadership and professional support. This initiative will also leverage CGDN as a strategic platform to facilitate knowledge exchange and policy engagement, and to disseminate its impact at both the national and international levels. The Department of Rehabilitation Sciences will provide professional technical support in rehabilitation. Together, we aim to enhance the well-being of new employment groups by exploring and implementing an innovative, comprehensive service model.

Online coverage:

PolyU’s website (English): https://polyu.me/4vmceFk 

PolyU’s website (Chinese): https://polyu.me/49CnRzx 

Mirage: https://polyu.me/4uK2jJI

Wen Wei Po: https://polyu.me/4fKg4Uj