PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING - A MODULAR PROGRAM IN HONG-KONG

This paper gives a background to the software industry in Hong Kong, and the problem of keeping its existing professionals' attitudes and knowledge up to date in an environment where any activity which takes people away from their workplace or is not immediately profit earning is received by employers with extreme suspicion. It reviews the organisation and operation of a part time modular masters level programme in software engineering of a remote university, which has been adapted to Bt within the working patterns of the local software development industry, and thus gain wider acceptance. In parallel the programme also acts as a vehicle for staff development in areas where there may be weaknesses in local reaching knowledge.