EasyTransfer Co-founder and President Tony Gao spoke about his past experiences as an international student and how to invest in education for the next generation of entrepreneurs on a panel hosted by Providence Academy Executive Dean Guohao Sun at the first day of the Forum for World Education (FWE) 2023 regional conference in Hong Kong, on 26th May 2023. The Forum's theme "The Transformative Power of International Education for a Better World" aims to showcase perspectives from both established business executives and university presidents, as well as young entrepreneurs and educators.

With a welcoming remark by Ms Edith Shih, Executive Director, CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd; Trustee, Columbia University, Teachers College; Council Member, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, short keynote remarks by Ms. Jun Pan, Vice President & CEO of Fazheng Group; Chairperson of Beijing Royal Charity Foundation; Board Member, FWE, and an opening speech by The Hon Warner Cheuk, GBS, JP, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of HKSAR, the forum was officially kicked off with the first panel session "Building a Talent Pipeline", featuring Prof Alan Chan, Provost, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prof Yike Guo, Provost, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Prof Paul Lam Kwan-Sing, President, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, as the panelists, moderated by The Hon Rock Chen, SBS, JP, member, Legislative Council HKSAR; Chairman, Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualification. The panel discussed several topics such as the probability for Hong Kong's tertiary education to provide a sustainable talent pipeline as Asia's financial and education hub, ways for the universities in Hong Kong to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among students and faculty to attract global talent and drive economic growth, and also the ways for education providers to work together with businesses to ensure that the skills and knowledge taught in universities and international education programs align with the needs of the workforce. 

During the next panel session "Globalising the Workforce", Dr Raymond K.F. Ch'ien, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, had moderated the session, featuring panelists including Ms Cally Chan, General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau, and Mr George Hongchoy, Chief Executive Officer, Link Asset Management; Trustee, University of Pennsylvania; Adjunct Professor, Department of Real Estate and Construction of the University of Hong Kong. Under this session, the guests focused on the discussion regarding the specific skills and knowledge areas that business leaders and entrepreneurs believe are most lacking in the current workforce, challenges or barriers that businesses face when trying to recruit and train both local and international talent, and the possible critical skills in the workforce that can beaddressed as global competencies. 

After 3 panel sessions, the forum had a lunch break, which was soon followed by a keynote speech by Dr The Hon Christine Choi, Secretary of Education, HKSAR Government. Prof Shih-Fu Chang, Dean, Columbia Engineering, was then invited to host the 4th panel session "Linking Industry and Education" to initiate the discussion on the ways for the education institutions and industry to identify the most demanded skills and knowledge areas in today's society and to collaborate their research and development efforts to drive innovation and enhance the competitiveness of the industry.

Honourable mention: Guohao Sun, EasyTransfer Partner and Providence Academy Co-founder, hosted panelists including Ms. Nisa Leung, Managing Partner, Qiming Venture, and Tony Gao, Co-founder and President, EasyTransfer at the panel session "Investing in the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs", leading the panelists into an insightful discussion of how universities can better prepare young people to navigate the complexities of a globalizing world, including geopolitical tensions, economic disparities, and environmental challenges, and also providing advice to educators and policymakers who are seeking to reform the education system to better serve the needs of today's economy.

On the second day of the forum, more in-depth discussion topics are introduced. The day started off with a brief welcoming remark by Mr Jack Zhai, Vice Chair of FWE HK Conference Planning Committee, and directly followed by the panel sessions. The first panel session of the day, which was in sequel to the discussion on previous day, was hosted solely by Mr Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills, OECD, with the theme of "OECD's Latest Research on Global Competency". Followed by the next panel session "The Global Competency Gap", where Prof Alister Jones, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Waikato, had moderated the panel with Dr Susan Sclafani, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, audience and guests sharing their thoughts about their top 3 global competencies and the efforts made by their country's education system into developing these global competencies, and also how education institutions can measure the successfulness of these efforts. 

Moving on, Mr David Edwards, Head of School, Western International School of Shanghai (WISS), then moderated the panel session themed "Education Without Borders", together with the panelists, Mrs Ruth Lau, Supervisor of UWC LPC; ex-Head of Regional Education Office of Kowloon, HK SAR Education Bureau, Dr Ron Roukema, Head of School, Hong Kong International School, and Ms Hayley Wilson, Deputy Head of Senior School, Kellett School. They had contributed in the discussion of different ways for international schools to prepare their students to address global challenges such as climate change and wealth disparities, the types of internal and systematic challenges face by international schools in promoting global citizenship and ways to overcome these challenges. 

Prof Frederick Leung, SBS, President of International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI); Chairman of Faculty Board, University of Hong Kong, and Prof Yang Wang, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, then proceeded to host the following panel session "STEAM education in an Era of AI and Digital Economy" as the panelists. They talked about several topics including some of the effective strategies implemented by the universities and schools in preparing young people for the future of work through STEAM education, how educational institutions can collaborate with industry, government, and other organizations to provide students with real-world STEAM learning experiences, and also the challenges and opportunities for universities and schools to collaborate on providing STEAM education across borders. 

Lastly, on the final panel session "From Scholar to Changemaker", Prof David Pan, Executive Dean and Professor, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University, and other panelists had discussed about the efforts made by the Schwarzman Scholars program in preparing graduates for their career and the valuable skills gained from the program. They also talked about how the international experience of studying at Schwarzman Scholars shaped their worldview and perspectives on global issues, and in what ways the the Schwarzman Scholars program continue to drive impact and shape the next generation of global leaders.

The forum ended with a simultaneous session where business leaders share their perspective on the topic "Education as a Catalyst for Economic Development", in hope to provide valuable insights and takeaways for everyone at the forum.