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Serving Hong Kong

WeProvide a Reliable Electricity Supply

Deliver World-class Customer Service

Ensure Safety for Customers and the Community

At HK Electric, we strive to earn the trust of our customers and the community by providing them with world-class electricity service, while giving back to society. This commitment is upheld in our Quality, Customer Services, and Health and Safety Policies, as well as in our caring culture.

Our goal is to exceed customer expectations and achieve total customer satisfaction. As a customer-focused, service-oriented company, we integrate quality considerations into all aspects of our business under quality and asset management systems that conform to ISO 9001 and ISO 55001 standards. Through these systems, we aim for continuous improvement in the way we serve customers.

All health and safety aspects are under the governance of our Health and Safety Board chaired by the Managing Director. We operate under health and safety management systems in line with OHSAS 18001 standard and strive to achieve an accident-free operation. We also do our utmost to operate safely and minimise risks to the community, as well as advising our customers on the safe use of electricity.

As part of our commitment to the community, we engage a variety of stakeholder groups and build social capital through the programmes we offer. The community investment strategy we have adopted helps us monitor key social issues and concerns, set priorities and allocate resources to address these issues. For this reason, we have chosen green education and elderly care as the focuses of our community service initiatives. The former has been discussed in the “Sharing the Same Planet” chapter and the latter is elaborated in this chapter.

45/15guided tours at Smart Power Centre/Power Quality Centre

~1,000single elders visited under the CAREnJOY programme

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Care for the Community

>99.999%supply reliability

Shared Concerns Reliable Electricity Supply• A reliable supply of electricity is

essentialtodailylifeaswellasthe economicdevelopmentofHong Kong.

• Providingareliablesupplyofelectricity,however,canbechallenging. These challenges includethecomplexityofdevelopingandmaintainingstablegeneration,transmission and distribution systems,thecongestedundergroundinfrastructure in Hong Kong and severeweather.

Customer Service• Customers expect excellent products

andservicesatreasonablerates.

• HK Electric recognises the importanceofprovidingasafe,reliable,cleanandaffordableelectricitysupply,aswellasoutstandingcustomerservice.

• Inmeetingcustomerexpectations, HK Electricmustacknowledgeandservetheirneedsinaspiritofmutual understanding.

Safety for Customers and the Community

• Health and safety is a key focus for all.

• Toachievethegoalofzeroaccidents,preparingtomeetunforeseeable risks and minimising human errors are essential.

• HK Electric has to make a concerted effort to ensure the safety of its customers and the community at large.

Care for the Community• Asaresponsiblecorporatecitizen,

HK Electric recognises the need to contribute to the community.

• HK Electricneedstoworkwithpartners in the community to bring in the skills and expertise required to tackle complex social issues such as the ageing population and benefit those in need.

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Provide a Reliable Electricity SupplyElectricitypowersourhomes,businessesandinfrastructure24hoursaday,everydayoftheyear.Inordertoprovideanuninterruptedsupplyofelectricitytocustomers,HK Electrichasdevelopedastabletransmissionanddistributionnetworkwithadvancedcontrolandmonitoringfeatures.Wealsomakestrategicinvestmentsinpeople,processes,equipmentandtechnologythatkeepourpowersystem robust and capable of operating under any contingency.

Ourreputationforprovidingaworld-classsupplyofelectricityiswellfounded.In2016,weachievedareliabilityratingofover99.999%,arecordwehavemaintainedsince1997.Wehavealsomanagedtoreducetheaverageduration of unplanned supply interruptions per customer tolessthanoneminuteayearsince2009.

Thekeytothisoutstandingperformanceisthepreventiveandprudentapproachwetakeinnetworkdesign,maintenance,upgradesandrepairs.Topreventproblemsfromoccurring,wemonitorournetworksaroundtheclock andutiliseearlydetectionandadvanceddiagnostictechniques.Shouldahighvoltagefaultoccur,wecanrestorepowerpromptlythroughremotecontrolfacilities.

Wealsomonitorthe“health”statusofcriticalnetworkcomponents,suchasswitchgears,transformers,cables,protection relays and remote terminal units. With the specifichealthindexeswehaveformulated,weareable toidentifycomponentsthatarelikelytobreakdownandcarry out timely repairs or replacements.

Inparticular,wehaveappliedanadvancedonlinepartialdischargedetectionsystemtoall275kVand132kVgasinsulatedswitchgearsatswitchingstationsandcontinued

to expand the system to our major apparatuses in primary stations.In2016,weextendedthedetectionsystemtomonitortheconditionsoftheswitchgearsinseventeen11 kVzone substations,andalsoreviewedandimprovedthe detection system.

Duringtheyear,twopotentialtransmissionswitchgearfaultswereavertedand16potentiallyfaulty11kVcableswerereplaced.

Tofurtherincreasesupplyreliabilityandpowerquality,we continuedtoupgradeorreplaceagednetworkcomponents,includingcables,transformers,capacitorswitches,circuitbreakersandashuntreactor.

Inourcomputersystems,webeganupgradingthesophisticatedEnergyManagementSystem(EMS)andDistributionManagementSystem(DMS)thatcontrolourpowerfacilities.Theupgrade,whichincludesenhancedsmartgridfeatures,isexpectedtobecompletedin2017.WiththenewEMSandDMS,wewillbeabletomaintaina safe,reliableandefficientsystemoperationwithloweremissionsandasmallercarbonfootprint.Alsoin2016,we conducteddrillsforourbackupEMSandbackupDMSto test their control and monitoring functions.

OtheroperationalimprovementsarebeingconsideredthroughtheStrategicAssetManagementandOperationalSupportApplications(SAMOSA)projectcommencedinJanuary2016,whichisexpectedtobecompletedby2019.SAMOSAisastrategic,business-ledinitiativethatwillhelpusincreaseproductivitythroughtheoptimisationandstandardisationofourend-to-endassetmanagementprocesses,fromplanning,acquisitionandinstallationto decommissioning.

TostrengthenourfuelhandlingcapabilitiesatLammaPowerStation,weupgradedthefireandgas-leakdetectionsystemofthegasreceivingstationduringtheyear.In2017,wewillsegregatethegassupplyroutetothetwoexistinggas-firedcombined-cycleunitstoenhancesupplyreliability.Forthecoalbunkers,weadoptedacarbon

Wemakeeveryefforttopreventfaultsinournetworkcomponents.

OurSystemControlCentreisequippedwithsophisticatedcomputersystems to ensure supply reliability.

Serving Hong Kong 23

monoxide detection system and portable infrared thermal imagecamerastoidentifyunwantedcoalsmoulderingthat may impose a safety risk and jeopardise our generation capabilities.

Wehavealsobeentakingaproactiveapproachtoensure a stableelectricitysupplyundersevereweatherconditions.Detailscanbefoundinthe“SharingtheSamePlanet” chapter.

Deliver World-class Customer ServiceInasophisticatedcitysuchasHong Kong,customersexpectareliable,high-qualitysupplyofelectricityatreasonableprices.Todelivertheservicestandardsourcustomersdeserve,engagementwiththemiskey–itisvitalthattheyfeel they are being heard.

Serving our CustomersTodevelopamoretargetedstrategyforservingourcustomers,weupgradedourCustomerServicesDepartmentintoanewDivisioninJuly2016,aswebelievethisaddsgreatervaluetotheexpertiseweofferincustomerrelationship management.

In2016,wecontinuedtomeetorsurpassall18pledgedcustomerservicestandards.Theaveragewaitingtimesfor telephoneenquiryservicesandcounterservicesatour CustomerCentrewerelessthan9secondsand3.5 minutesrespectively.

Our24-hourCustomerEmergencyServicesCentrecontinued to respond in a timely manner to customer requeststhroughvoicecallsorSMS.Inordertoprovide amoreefficient,coordinatedservice,allcustomercalls andjobrecordsarecomputerisedandmadeavailableimmediatelywiththeaidofaServiceCallInformationSystem.Theaveragewaitingtimefortelephonecallsto theCentrein2016was1.5seconds,surpassingourpledgedservicestandardof9seconds.

Inaddition,wemadeourwebsite,servicesandpublicationsmorewidelyavailableforourcustomers.Thisincludedthelaunchofamobile-friendlyversionofourcorporatewebsiteandonlinecustomerservicedeliveryplatform,Account-On-Line,inresponsetotherapidadoptionofsmartphones and tablets.

ForethnicminoritieslivinginHong Kong,weadded anew language–Hindi–toourexistingsuiteofservicepamphletsinBahasaIndonesia,Tagalog,Urdu,Japanese,Thai,NepaliandKorean.

Forhearing-impairedcustomers,weengagedTheHong KongSocietyfortheDeaftoproduceaseriesofsign-languagevideosonenergyefficiency,electricalsafetyandhandlingpowersupplyinterruptions,whicharenowavailableonourcorporatewebsiteandYouTubechannel.

FacilitiesattheCustomerCentrewererefurbishedtoprovidebetterservicefordifferentcustomersinneed.The enhancementincludedadedicatedwheelchair- friendly counter and automatic door for building access. Additionally,wecontinuedtowelcomevisually-impairedcustomerstovisituswiththeirguidedogs.

Inanotherserviceenhancementduringtheyear,wejoinedtheElectronicBillPresentmentandPaymentplatformtoprovideonemoreconveniente-channelforcustomers.Throughthischannel,customersareabletoreceivee-billsummaries and pay their electricity bills using their internet banking accounts.

Sincecustomerprivacyisahighpriorityforus,weprovideguidelines for our employees on handling personal data. Toraisetheirawarenessoftheprotectionofpersonaldata,wesupportedPrivacyAwarenessWeek2016inMayandorganised a seminar on personal information collection statements and data access requests.

Weprovideaone-stopserviceforSMEs.

Deliveringexcellentcustomerserviceisourmission.

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Record high commendations

1,803

Forenhancedsecurity,weimplementedadatalosspreventionITplatformtostrengthenourabilitytopreventtheunauthoriseddisclosureofconfidentialandsensitivepersonal data.

Duringtheyear,wereviewedourSupplyRulesandpublishedanewversionthatalignswithcurrentbusinesspractices.WearealsorevampingourGuidetoConnectionofSupplytohelpcustomersplanandbuilddatacentres, aswellasEVcharginginfrastructure.Thenewversionwillbepublishedin2017.

InApril2016,HK ElectriconceagainparticipatedinITFestand exhibited at the International ICT Expo to promote our servicetothedatacentreindustry.Themeritsofsettingup datacentresonHong KongIslandwerefeaturedunderfourthemes:Agile,Reliable,CustomisedandAll-round.

Theseandotherinitiativeswerewidelyappreciatedbycustomers.Thenumberofservicecommendationswereceivedduringtheyearreachedarecord1,803,withno complaints on the quality of our electricity supply orrelatedservices,reflectingahighlevelofcustomersatisfaction.

HK Electric’sserviceexcellencewasalsorecognisedthroughanumberofawards,suchasthe2016ExcellenceAwardoftheMysteryShopperProgrammeorganisedbytheHong KongRetailManagementAssociationandtwoGold awardsintheMysteryCallerAssessmentAwardorganised by the Hong Kong Call Centre Association. In the 2016WebAccessibilityRecognitionSchemeco-organisedbytheOfficeoftheGovernmentChiefInformationOfficerandtheEqualOpportunitiesCommission,ourcorporatewebsitereceivedtheGoldAwardinApril2016foritseasyaccessibility by the disabled.

Communication with CustomersTounderstandandaddresscustomerneeds,welistentothe feedback and suggestions of our customers through channelsincludingafter-servicesatisfactionsurveys,“We MeetonFriday”sessionsandtheGive-Me-5customersurvey.Theaveragecustomersatisfactionindexinourafter-servicesurveysduring2016was4.5ona5-pointscale.

Onanongoingbasis,customersarewelcometogiveustheir opinions through the Customer Suggestion Form on ourcorporatewebsite,astheyareupdatedabout ourdevelopmentsthroughthequarterlynewsletter,HK Electric On-line.

OurCustomerCareManagers(CCM)offeraccountassistanceonmatterssuchasbillingissues,tariffadvice,supplyreliability,powerquality,demandmanagementandenergyefficiency.ThroughtheCCMprogramme,wealsoconveythelatestserviceinformationandcollectdirectfeedbackfromcustomers.In2016,CCMspaidvisitsto40 customersites.

OurCustomerLiaisonGroupcomprising50members,includingcustomers,districtcouncillors,communityleadersandNGOrepresentativesfromHong KongandLammaIslands,metwithourmanagementrepresentativesinJanuary2016togetanupdateonHK Electric’sdevelopments,andsharetheirviewsandsuggestionswith us.TheyalsotookpartinaGreenHong KongGreeneco-heritagetouratTaiTaminSeptembertounderstandhowHK Electricsupportsenvironmentalprotectionandeducationthroughpromotingeco-tourism.

OrientationmeetingfornewmembersoftheCustomerLiaisonGroup.

Serving Hong Kong 25

Affordable Energy We are committed to keeping our tariffs at a stable and reasonablerateoverthelongterm.Duetolower-than-expectedfuelcosts,andgovernmentrefundsfortherentandratesoverchargedinthepast,weareabletooffertwo specialrebatestoallcustomersandreducethenettarifffor2017by17.2%.Thisisdespiterisingoperatingcosts,adropinelectricitysalesandanincreasein capitalexpenditure.

Withthetariffreductionin2017,wehavefrozenourtariffforthetwoyearssince2014andhavealsoreducedourtariffforafurthertwoyears,surpassingour2013pledgetofreezetariffsforfiveyearsuntiltheendof2018.However,tohelpachievealow-carbonsocietywewillincreasetheuseofnaturalgasinourpowergenerationfromabout33%ofthetotalelectricityoutputatpresenttoaround50%inthreeyears’time.Thiswillsubstantiallyincreaseourfuelcostsfrom2020,whichwillcreatesignificantpressureonthetariffwecharge.Recognisingthis,wemustprepareto minimise the impact of increases in fuel costs on our customers.TheproposedoffshoreLNGterminalwillbeanoptionthathelpsalleviatesuchimpact.

Tohelpmakeelectricityaffordableforeveryoneinthecommunity,wecontinuetoprovideconcessionarytariffschemesfortheelderly,thedisabled,single-parentfamiliesandtheunemployed.WewillalsocontinuetoprovidetheSuperSaverDiscounttoencourageenergyconservation.

Ensure Safety for Customers and the CommunityAnyinterruptionstothesupplyofelectricitycanhavepotentiallyseriousknock-oneffectsinthecommunity.Moreover,withHong Kong’slimitedspaceanddensepopulation,utilityinfrastructureswillinevitablybelocatedclosetothecommunity.Accordingly,HK Electricmakes aconcertedefforttomaintainareliableelectricitysupply,avoidincidentscausedbyouroperationsandlimitrisksto thenearbycommunity.Wealsoadvocatethesafeuseof electricity.Thisincludestheprovisionofadviceandguidance to customers and other stakeholders on safeguardingpowersuppliesandminimisingtherisk of electrical incidents.

A Safe and Dependable ServiceSince interruptions to the electricity supply can pose a threat to community facilities such as road traffic control systems,hospitalsandbuildingliftsystems,wemakeeveryefforttodeliverareliablesourceofpower.Pleasereadtheprevioussection,“ProvideaReliableElectricitySupply”, for more details.

Forcustomerswhodependonlifesupportequipment, wecanregistertheirindividualaccountsandtakecareof theirspecialpowersupplyneedsandnotifytheminadvanceofcarryingoutanyplannedsupplysuspensions.Drillsarealsocarriedoutonoursupplycontingencyplansforspecificcustomers.In2016,weconducteddrillsfor six hospitals.

Minimising RisksTominimisesafetyrisks,LammaPowerStationis governedbyaSafetyManagementSystemconforming toOHSAS18001standard.Sincetheintroductionofgaspowergenerationin2006,wehavehadaNaturalGasSafetyManagementSysteminplacethatensuresthesafeoperation and maintenance of the gas facilities and gas-firedgeneratingunits.

Inaddition,wemakeuseofoil-freedistributionsubstationsandzonesubstationsthatwereintroducedintheearly1980sand1990srespectively.Oil-freefacilitiessuchasthesegreatly reduce potential fire hazards related to electrical apparatus,particularlythoseinstalledontheupperfloorsof a building.

Wealsocompletedthereplacementoftwoageing132/33 kVoil-immersedtransformersatourAdmiraltySubstationwithgas-insulatedtransformersinJune2015andJune2016.Thesenewtransformershavegreatlyreduced the fire risk in the substation building and surrounding public area.

All contractors and other organisations undertaking constructionworksnearourelectricitysupplylinescanreceiverelevantinformationtoavoiddamagingsupplylinesthatmightcausepowerinterruptionsorsafetyincidents.Wemaintainadedicatedsectiononourwebsitefor this purpose.

TheCustomerEmergencyServicesCentreprovidesnecessarysupportforourcustomersthrougha24-hourhotline.

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Forourownfacilities,weconductdrillstotestourresponses to emergency situations such as oil and chemical spills,fire,gasleakagesandexplosions.

WealsoarrangepublictoursofourLammaPowerStationandmakehomevisitstothenearbyvillagerstofostermutualunderstandingandalleviatesafetyconcerns.

Safe Use of ElectricityWe continued to promote electrical safety and energy efficiencyamongourstakeholdersin2016.Theseincludedorganising45minienergyefficiencyworkshopsatourSmartPowerCentreforstakeholderssuchasstudents,professionalinstitutions,academia,businesspartnersandNGOs.Wealsoheldfourelectricalsafetyandenergyefficiency talks at community centres.

Duringahalf-dayenergyefficiencyeventforthevisually-impairedstudentsofEbenezerSchoolinJuly2016,weplayedhostto25visitorsattheSmartPowerCentreandHomeManagementCentre.Ourpresentationsincludedtipsonusingelectricityefficientlyandsafely,aswellasdealingwithpowerinterruptions.Inonedemonstration,thestudentscouldfeelhowradiantheatwasdissipatedthroughtheuseoflow-emissivitywindowglassthatreduces solar heat gain. Other demonstrations included the applicationofresidual-currentdevicesandintelligentpowerstrips.

Throughouttheyear,weheld15grouptoursofour PowerQualityCentretohelpparticipantsbetterunderstandpowerqualityandlearnhowtosafeguardpowersupplyfortheircriticalfacilities.

On the Electricity@Home and Electricity@Office sections of ourwebsite,weprovidevirtualenergysurveys,aswellasusefulinformationonenergyefficiency,powerqualityandsafe use of electricity.

StudentsvisittheSmartPowerCentretolearnmoreaboutelectricalsafety and energy efficiency.

Care for the CommunityAsacompanywithastrongCSRmission,weworkwiththelocal community to put our expertise to good use and lend a helping hand to those in need.

WeengagestakeholdersoncommunityissuesandhaveestablishedcloserelationshipswithmanyleadingNGOsinHong Kong.OurpartnershipswithNGOgroupsenableustobenefitfromtheirsocialserviceexpertise,whileweinturncontributeourprofessionalandtechnicalknow-how.

Care for Single SeniorsOtherthangreeneducationactivitiesmentionedinthe“SharingtheSamePlanet”chapter,wehavechosenelderlycareasourotherfocusforcommunityinvestmentsinceageing population is one of the most pressing social issues inHong Kong.Weworkwithelderlyserviceagenciesandcommunity leaders to extend care to the elderly through variousprogrammes.

Oneofthese,“CAREnJOYfortheElderly”,promotesmutual support in the community. Senior citizens are recruited and trained to be ambassadors to encourage otherelderstojoinlocalservicecentres.TheaimofCAREnJOYistoreducetherisksfacedbytheelderlywithlimited or no access to community support.

WiththecontinuedsupportofthreeDistrictCouncilsonHong KongIsland,eightNGOsandtwoRuralCommitteesonLammaIsland,CAREnJOYkickedoffitssecondyearofserviceinFebruary2016.TheEasternDistrictCouncilsubsequentlyjoinedtheCAREnJOYprogramme,extendingourcoveragetoalldistrictsinourserviceterritory.

TrainingisprovidedforCAREnJOYambassadorsandvolunteersto enrich their skills.

Serving Hong Kong 27

Underthisprogramme,twovisitsareorganisedeverymonthforHK Electricvolunteers,elderlyambassadorsanddistrictcouncillorstocareforsingleelders.Duringthesevisits,thevolunteerspurchasedheavyandbulkydailynecessities,suchasriceandoil,carriedoutsimpleelectricalinspectionsandprovidedtipsonelectricalsafetyandefficient energy use at home.

Duringtheyear,wevisitedabout1,000singleseniorsonHong KongandLammaIslands,anddeliveredtalksonelectricalsafetyandgreenelectriclivingtomorethan400 elders.

Selecting suitable daily necessities for the elderly is an exciting task for volunteers.

Learning as a Lifelong Experience Foundedin2006byHK ElectricandTheHong KongCouncilofSocialService,theUniversityof3rdAge(U3A)continuedtopromotelifelonglearningand volunteerismamong retirees in Hong Kong.

U3Aadvocatestheprinciplesofself-initiating,self-learning,self-teachingandself-administeringforpursuingknowledge,whileadvocatingmoresocialparticipationtocare for community issues. Classes are taught and run by seniors for seniors.

The10thanniversaryofU3AwascelebratedinMarch2016,withnearly800U3Astudents,familiesandfriendsattendingtheceremony.InMay,weorganisedanorientationdaycampunderthethemeofthe“Age-FriendlyCity“,duringwhichweencouragedU3Astudentstobecomemoreinvolvedinsocialengagementandotherelderly-relatedmatters.Aseminarwasorganisedon11 NovemberwithguestspeakersfromTaiwanandSingaporetodiscusshowcreativityandtechnologycanhelpalleviatesocialproblems.Wealsotookthe

opportunity to roll out the fifth Outstanding Third Age CitizensAwardrecognisingretiredpeoplefortheirdedicationtolifelonglearning,leadingahealthylifestyleandservingthecommunity.

Asitentersitsseconddecade,U3Awilloffermoreinnovativecourses,establishadditionaloutreachprojects andbecomemoreengagedwithdifferentcommunity groups.

Chinese dance performance by U3A students.

Support for our VolunteersThe HK Electric Volunteers Team continued to contribute tothecommunityin2016throughawiderangeofcommunityservicesandfund-raisinginitiatives.

InApril2016,theteamcelebratedits12thanniversarywhereoutstandingvolunteersandDivisionswererecognisedfortheiractiveparticipationinservingthecommunity.Throughouttheyear,theteamprovided 5,647volunteerhours,involving1,602participants. Servicesincludedelectricalinspections,homevisitstosingle elders,fallpreventionguidancefortheelderly,environmentalservices,amentorshipprogrammeandan Englishinterviewworkshop.

Forthepurposeofcontinuouslyimprovingourvolunteerprogrammes,weconductedasurveytogaugecolleagues’viewsonourvolunteerserviceinmid-2016.Thesurveyresultsshowedthatservicefortheelderlyandgreenactivitieswerethemostpopularservicecategories.Colleagues’interestandtalentwerealsogatheredfordiversifyingourservicescope.

1,602

5,647

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Total Volunteering Service Hours

18%Green Services

36%Elderly Care

43%Other Services

3%Team Building & Training

Team Building & Training

89

Other Services

580

Green Services

281

Elderly Care

652

Total Number of Participants

OurGraduateTraineeswerealsoinvitedtotakepart involunteerwork.Duringtheyear,13ofthemwho hadjoinedTheHKIEProfessionalVolunteersServiceAccreditationProgrammereceivedtwoGrandawards, oneGoldawardand10 Silverawardsinrecognitionoftheir contribution.

Besidescorporatevolunteering,ourGoodNeighbourFundprogramme encourages and supports employees to initiate theirowncommunitycareprojects.

In2016,weprovidedfundingfortwoemployeevolunteerprojects.Under“CareforHK ElectricRetirees”,homevisitsandteagatheringswereorganisedtocarefor retiredemployees,whilegivingnewemployeestheopportunity tolearnfromtheirpredecessorswhileworkingatHK Electric.

The“CreativeWorkshop”isacollaborativeprojectwitha localNGO,inwhichourcolleaguesproducedvideos on the rehabilitation journeys of stroke patients and the challengesfacedbytheirfamilies.Studentvolunteerswererecruitedtotakeweddingandfamilyphotosforelderlycouplesandunderprivilegedgroups.

Ourvolunteersactivelysupportvariousgreenservices.

Support for Meaningful CausesBeyondvolunteering,HK Electricsupportsmeaningfulandcharitable causes through donations and sponsorships.

AmongtheseistheCentenaryTrust,whichhasbeensupportingthedevelopmentofU3Awhileprovidingscholarshipstosecondaryschoolstudentswithfinancialneeds.In2016,HK Electricsponsored112projectsrelatedtoourbusiness,thecommunityandtheenvironment.

UndertheElectricAppliancesDonationProgrammeandUsedComputerRecyclingProgramme,wedonatedover900itemsincludingelectricwaterheaters,bathroomaircontrollers and computer equipment to the underprivileged.

University of 3rd Age

Serving Hong Kong 29

Case Story

Learning is for Life

It is often said that the process of learning is a lifelong journey.Ifanyonecanbesaidtoexemplifythatphilosophy,itisamanaffectionatelyknownasUncleChiu,whocelebratedhis100-year-oldbirthdayin2016.

Afterretiringin1974,UncleChiudevelopedaninterestinphotography,tookupsinging,andlearnedhowtouseacomputerandplaytheerhu.Today,heblogsregularlyabouthislife,makinghimtheoldestbloggerinHong Kong.

Hehasbeenavolunteerteachersincetheageof90withtheUniversityof3rdAge(U3A)establishedbyHK ElectricandTheHong KongCouncilofSocialService(HKCSS)backin 2006.

Funded by the HK Electric Centenary Trust and administeredbyHKCSS,U3Aisinits10th year of encouraginglocalretireestopursuetheirinterests,fulfiltheir dreams and contribute to the community.

UncleChiuisonlyamongthemanywhohavejoinedU3A.SinceU3Awassetup,over5,000courseshavebeen

organised for local retirees offering a total of more than 86,000learningopportunities.

LivingoutU3A’smottoof“learningforpleasure”,studentsenrolincoursesforthesakeoflearningnew subjectsorskillsratherthangainingqualifications.Manyofthestudentsalsotakeuptheroleofteachers,sharingtheirknowledgeandexperiencewith others.

U3A courses are largely inspired by the interests of U3A students. They range from the use of mobile phone applicationstoliondancingandTaiChi,allaimedatbuildingknowledgeorencouragingexercise.U3A studentshavealsobeencontributingtodifferentsocialdiscussionsovertheyears,puttingforwardtheirviews ontopicsincludingthedevelopmentofthe“silverhair”market,protectionofelderlyconsumerrightsandcardiovascularfitness.

At a seminar hosted by HK Electric and HKCSS to commemoratethe10thanniversaryofU3A,oneoftherecipientsoftheOutstandingThirdAgeCitizensAward afewyearsago–Ms.TsangWun-ping–sharedherjourneyofactiveageing.Shefoundthatsomeofherfellowseniorcitizenswereboredwiththeirretiredlivesanddidnotknowhowtospendtheirtime.

“That’swhyIreceivedvolunteertrainingandlearnedhowtoteachothersnewthings,”shesaid.“Lifelonglearningcan inject energy into your life after retirement.”

Lookingahead,U3Awilldevelopmoreinnovativecourses,engage in more partnership projects and become more involvedincommunityissues.Consequently,weexpectU3Awillcontinuetobeanimportantplatformforlocalretireestocareforandservethecommunity.

U3AstudentsshareexperiencewiththeTVBVolunteersTeaminservingtheelderly.