HKUYA New Youth New World Summer Internship Programme Welcomes 300 University Students to China for Their Internships Over 60% of The Participants Are Optimistic about China's Economic Outlook and Consider Short-term Career Development in the Mainlan
Jointly organised by the Hong Kong United Youth Association (HKUYA), New World Development Company Limited (New World Group) and HKUYA Student Exchange Network (SEN), HKUYA New Youth New World 2013 Summer Internship Programme held its kick-off ceremony at Y-Theatre of Youth Square in Chai Wan on 3 Jun 2013. About 300 top students from eight universities in Hong Kong will soon depart for their summer internships in Beijing, Chengdu and Dalian respectively.
The kick-off ceremony was officiated by Mr Raymond Young Lap-moon, JP, Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs; Ms Tang Shu-lan, Deputy Director General of the Youth Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR; Professor Timothy Tong, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Adrian Yip, Chairman of HKUYA; Helen Lu, Director of HKUYA Academic Affairs Committee and Maria Cheung, General Manager of Corporate Communication of New World Group, who all witnessed the youths embarking on a bright journey.
The 300 students will depart for Mainland China in mid-June for a six-week internship. Internship positions are offered by organisations such as state-owned enterprises, cultural organizations, the mainland government agencies, Hong Kong enterprises, the State Press and Publication Administration of Radio, China Central Television. In addition to work placements, students will be arranged to visit local governmental departments, renowned corporations and famous scenic spots such as Mainland properties owned by New World Group, Beijing Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Dalian Commodity Exchange. Students will also have the chance to exchange views with local students on subjects such as history, politics, economics and lifestyle. A series of CEO seminars will allow students to meet and learn from veteran entrepreneurs and professionals. Students will have the chance to gain more inspiration by learning more about our country's recent development through this wide array of activities.
Meanwhile, in a research conducted by SEN in March 2013, among the choices of internships in the Mainland, Hong Kong and overseas countries, over 50% of around 700 interviewees listed Mainland internships as their top priority. The research indicates Hong Kong students in general think the prospect of Mainland China is better than that of Hong Kong. Over 80% of the interviewees demonstrated their willingness to develop their career in Mainland China, but mostly on a short-term basis. More than 60% of the interviewees are willing to work in the Mainland for less than three years, while only 15% showed willingness to work there for more than six years. Interviewees' preference was influenced by both short-term favourable factors such as broadening their horizons, and non-favourable long-term factors such as a lack of social network. Results also indicated the students' expectation of narrowing wage gap between the Mainland and Hong Kong, which shows that university students are optimistic about the economic outlook of China. Many interviewees indicated their willingness to work in the second-tier cities in Mainland China besides the first-tier cities there. Even though university students embrace working in China, they prefer a short-term career development there and do not consider it an ideal place for a long-term career.
Since its launch seven years ago, New Youth New World Internship Programme has offered more than 1,300 university students internship placements in different corporations in Mainland China. Since 2007, the number of organisations offering internship opportunities for the students has been increasing continuously. The number of applicants was above 2,000 for two consecutive years, revealing university students' desire to work in Mainland China.
HKUYA New Youth New World 2013 Summer Internship Programme (NYNW)
Since 2007, HKUYA New Youth New World 2013 Summer Internship Programme has been warmly welcome by university students in Hong Kong. In 2007, 31 students from The University of Hong Kong went to Shanghai for a five-week internship. In the following year, HKUYA and New World Development Company Limited co-organised the Beijing-Shanghai Summer Internship Programme, which included over 100 students from five local universities. In 2009, the third city, Dalian, was added to the programme, which allowed 150 university students to understand more about China's development. In 2011, Chongqing was added; in 2012, four cities were included in the programme, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian and Chengdu, offering 300 internship positions.
New World Development Company Limited
New World Development Company Limited ("The Group"; Stock Code: 17.HK) is a leading conglomerate based in Hong Kong. The Group was founded in 1970 and publicly listed in Hong Kong in 1972. It is a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index with a total asset value of HK$311 billion as at 31 December 2012.
For more than four decades, the Group has expanded from a single focus on the property business to four core areas: property, infrastructure, services and department store. As at 31 December 2012, the Group has an effective interest of approximately 61% in NWS Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 659.HK), approximately 69.8% in New World China Land Limited (Stock Code: 917.HK) and approximately 72.3% in New World Department Store China Limited (Stock Code: 825.HK).