Dr Yam Kong is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Applied Social Sciences APSS at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and serves as the Programme Leader of the Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Social Work (BASW) Programme. He is also the Director of the Professional Practice and Assessment Centre (PPAC) as well as the Chairman of the APSS Students and Alumni Affairs Committee.

Dr Yam has over two decades of experience as a registered social worker, counsellor, trainer and educator. In particular, he has been dedicated to promoting professional social work education, counselling practices and teaching research. He believes quality education can make people and the society better. As a university educator, Dr Yam is devoted to education as a lifelong career and strives to cultivate students with knowledge, skills and values to become the pillars of society.

 
He has been applying a practice-based/informed teaching approach that emphasises the core values of “Student-centred, Experiential learning and Train-the-trainer”, recognising the uniqueness of each student and providing them with exposures to effective helping professional practices in day-to-day life, particularly in social work and counselling-related aspects.

Given the uniqueness of every individual, students and teachers alike, he developed tailor-made teaching syllabi and formats which are crucial elements in nurturing students. He is dedicated to designing state-of-the-art and innovative pedagogy and course contents in response to students’ learning needs and to keep up with the latest developments in the field of helping professionals.

He believes all students have a wide range of potential in learning and development. He adopts a train-the-trainer model to develop students’ capabilities into full play. Over the past few years, a great number of his students have become mentors and trainers themselves, and this helps facilitate and support the professional growth of new generations of students through both formal academic learning and extra-curricular activities.

Social workers and counsellors are practice-based professionals. To strive for teaching excellence, he has engaged in direct services for contributing to the needy and the community. He has served as a board member, consultant, trainer and counsellor to support a number of NGOs, government departments and people who are in need of counselling services. In doing so, he continues to sharpen his knowledge and experiences as a helping professional which can benefit his teaching.

In line with the above pedagogical belief, he is particularly interested in practice research projects, as related work can also inform and enhance his teaching. Over the years, he has proactively participated in a number of research projects, including projects funded by the University Grants Committee, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund, the Central Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government, etc., and demonstrated a keen interest in conducting helping professional and teaching-related research work.

In recognition of his contributions to the university and excellence in teaching, he was awarded the Faculty Teaching Award in 2016 and the APSS Department’s Best Teaching Award twice, in 2015 and 2021.

• Doctor of Social Work, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Master of Social Work (Clinical Stream), The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Bachelor of Social Work, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

• Registered Social Worker