My Blog

Youth development growing from strength to strength

28 April 2019

Young people are the hope and future of Hong Kong.  They are also the driving force for the development of the country as well as Hong Kong.

Youth development is one of the priority policy areas of the current-term Government.  We hope to nurture young people in a way that they will develop a love for Hong Kong, a sense of national identity and an international perspective, as well as positive thinking and a sense of commitment and responsibility.  Therefore, the current-term Government strives to address young people’s concerns about education, career pursuit and home ownership, and encourage their participation in politics as well as public policy discussion and debate.  By creating ample room and opportunities for young people from different backgrounds and social strata, we are doing our best to promote opportunities for their upward mobility.

On youth development, the Government has introduced a number of policy measures over the past year, on which steady progress has been made.  A sum of $1 billion has been earmarked in the Budget for supporting the work of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) and, of this, $500 million will first be allocated to implement a series of measures related to the above goal, as announced in the 2018 Policy Address.

The views of the younger generation carry great significance for the Government’s administration and the future development of Hong Kong.  By organising regular visits to schools, exchange sessions, focus group meetings and other similar activities, the YDC seeks to understand the views of young people and relevant stakeholders of different backgrounds and capture the pulse of the younger generation.

The second round recruitment of the regularised Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth (MSSY) commenced in December last year (2018).  Altogether 20 seats were offered by 10 committees.  The response was overwhelming with a total of 1 409 valid applications being received.   We invited applicants attending the interviews, which started in early March, to give their consent for inclusion of their personal particulars in the Central Personality Index (CPI) database.  The information in the database will then be made available to bureaux/departments for identifying suitable candidates for appointment to various advisory bodies.  The proportion of young people in the CPI database has greatly increased from 6.5% (around 940) before the launch of the pilot MSSY (i.e. October 2017) to approximately 16.6% (around 2 670), representing an increase of more than 150%.  This is indeed encouraging.

Launched last year with great success, the “Be a Government Official for a Day” programme has been extended with the participation of more senior officials.  Shadowing us on the job for one day, senior secondary students can gain hands-on experience of our work and an understanding of the Government’s operation.  The programme has not only facilitated communication and experience sharing between our colleagues and young people, but also inspired the latter to think about their future goals and strive for the best.

The “Be a Government Official for a Day” programme will be held in two phases.  The first phaseᅳHeads of Departments Editionᅳwas conducted this month.  Around 400 applications from 150 secondary schools were received.  Eventually 46 Secondary 4 and 5 students were chosen and grouped in twos to shadow 23 Under Secretaries, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments on the job for one day.

Two weeks ago, I attended the orientation session of the programme to meet the students and boost their morale.  I was delighted to meet these enthusiastic and ambitious young people.  We promised to keep in touch through joining the “alumni association” and developing a strong social network.

Having finished the job shadowing, the students gathered again to share their experiences and feelings during a debriefing session held at the Central Government Offices yesterday.  Many of them commented that the programme was a golden opportunity through which they had achieved a breakthrough in their personal development and gained recognition for their capabilities.  They were also inspired by the government officials to find their goals and work hard to achieve them.  A great number of students even said that they would never forget the experience.

The second phase of the programmeᅳthe Chief Executive and Principal Officials Editionᅳwill be held during the summer holidays, the details of which will be announced tomorrow (29 April) and applications will be accepted starting from tomorrow until 20 May.  The programme will enlist more than 40 officials, including the Chief Executive, over 10 Principal Officials and other officials, benefitting at least 80 students.  Interested students should not miss the chance!

Moreover, the Government is committed to providing quality internship opportunities on the Mainland and overseas, with a view to enabling young people to learn more about their home country and other places of the world.  They will have their horizons broadened through experiencing the work and living cultures of different places worldwide.  Last year (2018), the Government forged partnerships with major local companies to launch the Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas (the Scheme) on a pilot basis for young people to work as interns at the Mainland and overseas operations of these companies.

In view of the success of the pilot scheme, the Government has decided to expand the Scheme this year.  The number of participating companies has increased to 18, providing more than 280 quality internship placements in different industries, such as financial services, energy, property development and public utilities services.  Internship locations overseas include Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Indonesia, while those locations on the Mainland include various cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xiamen.

The Scheme has been enhanced in terms of the number of positions offered, the range of industries covered and the geographical distribution of the internship placements, as compared to the pilot scheme last year.  For the new round of the Scheme, enhancement measures were in place so that young people could apply to up to three companies in a single application through the centralised application system, saving their time through the simplified procedures.  A total of 2 788 applications were received.  The overwhelming response proved that the Scheme was well-received among young people.

I attended the launch ceremony of the Scheme earlier (on 18 February).  I was moved by the fact that participating companies had lived up to their social responsibilities fully.  Not only did they provide young people with internship placements, they also bore the major costs of internship, such as airfare and accommodation, and offered training and support to the interns.  The companies¹ have given not just their money, but their kindness and efforts as well.

Through the concerted efforts of the Government and the companies, we strive to nurture for Hong Kong a pool of young talent with an international perspective, a good understanding of major enterprises and the work culture in different parts of the world, as well as rich social networks in the Mainland and overseas.  They are the most important assets of Hong Kong.  Besides, it is most encouraging that we have introduced a number of youth development programmes which exemplify the cross-sectoral collaboration of the community, the business sector, the government and the education sector.  We have also launched new funding schemes under the Youth Development Fund to further support young people to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship so that they can unleash their potential and realise their aspirations in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and even other places in the Mainland and outside Hong Kong.

Fostering youth development is a long-term investment requiring the participation and co-operation of various sectors of the community.  We will strive to open up a new world for young people and continue to nurture talent for the future of Hong Kong.