The School of Continuing Education is committed to providing quality education and promoting whole-person education in a wide range of disciplines to learners for academic articulation, professional advancement, and self-improvement. Through research and community engagement, it also contributes to knowledge generation and community service to address the pressing needs of society. The School strives to be a leader in Hong Kong and the region in the provision of tertiary and continuing education by meeting the learning needs of the community in a caring and creative culture.

Though the School is positioned as a teaching institution, it encourages academic/teaching staff to pursue research to benefit society and enhance learning and teaching. It aims to build up research capability and develop research-informed teaching by focusing on the strategic research areas of "Environment and Health", "Education and Teaching & Learning" and "Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence". It has diverse research achievements across a wide range of disciplines, with funding awarded from various sources, such as the Research Grants Council (RGC) and the Education Bureau. In the coming years, SCE would put more resources on strengthening its research infrastructure and capability.