HKPC Organises the Third Winter Internship Programme Offering Tertiary Students Opportunities to Experience the Latest Technology and Learn FutureSkills to Enhance Competitiveness

(Hong Kong, 6 February 2023) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is committed to nurturing young research and development (R&D) talents for Hong Kong through annual internship programmes in winter and summer. These programmes aim to provide practical work experience and diversified learning opportunities for local and overseas tertiary students to be well-prepared for their career pathways. The Winter Internship Programme this year attracted overwhelming responses with around 1,000 applications. The selected 38 interns had the opportunity of attending field trips to various organisations and equipped themselves in HKPC’s FutureSkills interactive learning workshops. The interns applied what they had learned to their graduation projects, which were innovative and people-oriented. Their projects can address the pain points of our society and put practical commercial aspects into consideration, unleashing their full potential.

Of the chosen interns, 70% came from local universities, including the likes of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, with the rest from overseas tertiary institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and so on. The interns were attached to different divisions to understand HKPC’s R&D projects in a real-life working environment and went on job shadowing with HKPC management to sample their work life. They also had the opportunity of visiting various organisations. For example at Microsoft Hong Kong, the interns learnt about digital transformation, cyber security, Metaverse, big data and artificial intelligence. They also visited “H.K. Lovecraft”, Hong Kong’s first and only craft lager-focused brewery, to better understand the technologies and related application scenarios of new industrialisation. In addition, at “Quality Day”, the annual signature event of Towngas, they observed how Towngas could successfully foster innovation and optimise its business processes as well as services. These field trips offer an eye-opening experience for the interns to gain new insights about cutting-edge business practices!

Mr Mohamed BUTT, Executive Director of HKPC, said, “All interns of this year are elites from higher education institutions. Energetic, creative and daring to try, these young people show us there is high hope for the future development of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) industry. Using technology and design thinking, the interns worked on solving social issues and improving people’s life. The vast experience and great support of HKPC in the I&T sector can definitely broaden the horizon of the young I&T talent and bring huge benefits to them. As talent is undoubtedly important in the I&T industry, enlarging the I&T talent pool can accelerate Hong Kong’s progress to become an International I&T Hub.”

Polly WONG, a HKU Electrical Engineering major, is one of the interns. She and her team designed a sign language translation mobile application for hearing-impaired persons to break down communication barriers. It is one of the winners of the Best Graduation Project Award in this year’s Winter Internship Programme. “Thanks to the internship opportunity, I realised creativity and ideas have no limit. Innovative products should always be people-oriented to ensure they truly suit people’s needs. My team and I have put these considerations into our work, aiming to improve the quality of life of hearing-impaired people. The Winter Internship Programme has widened my vision and imagination of the I&T industry. The FutureSkills training enhanced my knowledge and competitiveness in the related field, showing me doors of possibilities for my future career development,” she said.

HKPC is dedicated to enlarging the I&T talent pool and nurturing young tech talents and leaders to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness. The next cohort of the Summer Internship Programme will be open to applications from March to April this year. Details will be announced later..

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38 interns from different institutions and academic backgrounds completed the six-week Winter Internship Programme to broaden their horizons in the I&T field.

The interns learn the latest advanced technologies such as the Metaverse, and equip themselves with the FutureSkills training provided by HKPC to meet the future trends of technology and at work.

Arranged by HKPC, the interns visited “H.K. Lovecraft”, the first and only craft lager-focused brewery in Hong Kong, to better understand the technologies and related application scenarios of new industrialisation.