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Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Department of Social Work of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has launched the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project (the Project), which aims to provide a certificate training course and mentored practicum, to be augmented by an online knowledge hub, with the goal of sharing knowledge and experience of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) with participants. Two rounds of training have been completed since the Project was launched in 2019.

The Final Project Pitching Day was held today (27 April) via the online platform, adjudicated by Mr. Bryan Wong, Head of Charities (Grant Making), The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Prof. Ilan Katz, Professor, The University of New South Wales, Australia and Professor Steven Ngai Sek Yum, Chairperson, Department of Social Work, CUHK.

Professor Steven Ngai Sek Yum, Project Investigator, said, “After six months of training, I am grateful to see 30 teams of participants from different organisations demonstrate their strengths and share their learning achievements.”

The Project includes a Certificate Training Course delivered by overseas and local experts, which covers important areas, including service development and monitoring, resource and planning management, media and communications, and programme evaluation and impact assessment. The first two rounds of training under the Project have received enthusiastic support from the social service sector, with more than 120 participants joining the six-month training programme, which included a 14-session Certificate Training Course, delivered by overseas and local experts, and a four-month mentored practicum delivered by experienced mentors.

In the competition, 30 teams of participants from different organisations presented and displayed their project evaluation results in a concise manner within five minutes. The participating teams competed to become one of the five Outstanding Award winners with diverse assessment topics and innovative reporting methods. The winning teams will be given a valuable opportunity to present their evaluation projects at an overseas international conference.

Mr. Bryan Wong, Head of Charities (Grant Making), The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said, “It is really encouraging to witness all the presentations today! Wish that the participants could be able to continuously learn and interact, as well as develop suitable programme evaluations to promote the social impact of social services, which will eventually bring benefits to society as a whole.”

About the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project Certificate Training Course

The duration of the Project is three years, providing a total of four rounds of training courses. Two rounds of courses take place in each of the first two years. Each round includes courses of seven days within a period of two months. Additionally, participants will be divided into teams for a four-month long mentored practicum. The participants will gain practical knowledge and skills in programme evaluation to apply to their work, with coaching by experienced mentors. After the completion of the courses each year, a pitching competition will be held. Those teams who win these competitions will be sponsored to showcase their good practices at internationally renowned conferences.

Third round of training: seven consecutive Tuesdays starting from 15 September 2020

Fourth round of training: seven consecutive Wednesdays starting from 16 September 2020

Time: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm

Location: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sha Tin (exact location to be confirmed)

Online application: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=9253187

For enquiries: (Tel) 3943 7508  (Email) jcmel@cuhk.edu.hk