(25 October 2023, Hong Kong) The Construction Industry Council (CIC) supports The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address (Policy Address) delivered by Mr. John LEE, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, today. The CIC welcomes the Government’s initiatives on creating developable land to build more housing, including the development of Northern Metropolis and Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands, and it is believed that it will create strong impetus for the growth of Hong Kong and duly address the need of the public. The CIC and the industry will work closely together to support the Government in advancing infrastructure projects, building a vibrant economy for a caring community.
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In the Policy Address, various measures and KPIs related to the manpower resources needed for infrastructure development are proposed, including an increase in training capacity for skilled workers and the launch of Vocational Professionals Admission Scheme and the enhancement in funding support for enterprises through the Construction Industry Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF), etc., which manifest the “result-oriented” vision in policy implementation. The CIC will continue to implement a series of measures to assist the Government in enforcing the KPIs.
The CIC will utilise the Government’s funding and its own resources to increase the training quotas for skilled construction workers provided by Hong Kong Institute of Construction from 10,000 places in the 2022/23 academic year to at least about 12,000 places in each of the academic years from 2023/24 to 2027/28. The CIC will continue to collaborate with the Development Bureau to spearhead the “Design for Future Build for Life” mega promotional campaign, fostering the sustainable development of the construction industry.
Regarding the CITF, a special team is set up to strengthen the promotion of the innovative technologies to the industry with a target of providing funding for about 400 enterprises within 2024 to facilitate their adoption of various innovative technologies in construction projects, further enhancing productivity and construction quality.
It is proposed in the Policy Address that a roadmap for the full adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) will be promulgated in the preparation and approval of building plans for private developments within this year, and some organisations will be required to adopt BIM from the second quarter of next year. The CIC believes this approach will set an example for the industry in the wide adoption of digital construction technologies. The CIC has been committed to promoting BIM, including the development of CIC BIM standards, organising courses and competitions, and the opening of the CIC Digital Twin Hub, and will continue to lead the industry to speed up digitalisation.
The CIC is pleased to note the Government’s multi-pronged approach to utilise innovative technologies to increase the supply of housing. The Policy Address mentions making use of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) to enhance quantity, speed, efficiency and quality, and implementing trial adoption of smart estate management in the design and construction stage as well as in property management. The CIC will continue to upgrade and transform the industry with innovative technologies, and encourage more construction sites to adopt the Smart Site Safety System (SSSS), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), MiC, robotics, etc., to enhance construction safety, productivity and sustainability.
Please visit www.cic.hk for further details.