Internship and Exchange

111.    In October last year, I launched the Enriched IT Programme in Secondary Schools, which offers intensive training to students with potential.  We have set up a steering committee to coordinate and promote the programme.  Members of the steering committee include IBM, Google, Microsoft and Huawei.  In the next two years, we shall continue to collaborate with the industry to organise activities and internship programmes, with a view to nurturing IT professionals for the development of Hong Kong.

112.    We shall increase the monthly allowances of the Internship Programme under ITF and extend the programme to cover the incubatees and SME tenants of the Cyberport and the Science Park, as well as the start-ups to be funded by the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund, in a bid to encourage more university graduates to enter the field of innovation and technology.

113.    Last year, the Hong Kong United Youth Association and Y Society organised the first Future Leaders in Finance Internship Programme, a summer internship, supporting 20 local university students to work as interns at financial institutions in Beijing to broaden their networks and horizons.  Government will provide subsidies and increase the internship places to 40 this year.  Partners to the programme include the China Investment Corporation and the Silk Road Fund.

114.    The Scheme for Cross-boundary Study Tour for Post-secondary Financial Talents, which we jointly launched with Shanghai in 2012, enables Hong Kong students to understand the prospects and dynamics of the financial markets in the Mainland.  Government will subsidise 30 local university students to join the scheme this year.

115.    The ASEAN Internship Scheme launched by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore in 2014 has so far provided internship opportunities for about 300 students.  Through this scheme, students can gain first-hand knowledge about the economic and socio-cultural environments of the ASEAN countries.  From 2016 onwards, the scheme will be extended to cover the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Hang Seng Management College, bringing the total number of participating tertiary institutions to 11.