The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, today (August 24) met with non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) students participating in a government internship programme to learn about their takeaways from and thoughts about the internship. She encouraged them to enhance themselves and expand their horizons through conducting life planning before joining the workforce and trying different types of jobs to get prepared for their career development in future.

     Mrs Yeung said, "The Government has been promoting equal opportunities for people of diverse races in various ways and is committed to facilitating the integration of NEC people into the community. Being the largest employer in Hong Kong, we have been committed to promoting equal employment opportunities in the civil service.

     "Specifically, the Civil Service Bureau launched an internship programme for NEC students in 2019 to help them gain work experience and enhance their competitiveness for employment. We also hope that the internship experience will enable them to gain a better understanding of the operation of the Government with a view to attracting aspiring talents to join the Government upon graduation to serve the public together."

     The Government has been reviewing from time to time the Chinese language proficiency requirements for all civil service grades and lowering such requirements where suitable. The aim is to ensure that the requirements are no more than necessary for the performance of the jobs so that NEC people would have equal access to government job opportunities like other applicants.

     Over 100 post-secondary NEC students have taken part in the internship programme so far, including the 28 students participating in the programme this year. They have been posted to various government bureaux and departments for an internship lasting about eight weeks. Some placements require the interns to apply their knowledge of NEC languages and cultures to provide services to NEC communities.

     One of the interns, Mr Gurung Pragyanraj, has been posted to an integrated family service centre of the Social Welfare Department. In addition to assisting with daily office operations, he has also helped organise various activities for the service users. He said that through his exchanges with the service users, he has broadened his horizons and gained experience that is not easy to get in daily life.

     Another intern, Miss Bibi Safiyan, has been posted to the Race Relations Unit of the Home Affairs Department and assisted in promotion and publicity work, including organising talks at different schools and roving exhibitions in the community to help students and members of the public to enhance their understanding towards NEC communities. The experience during the internship has enabled her to be more confident and be clearer about her future development.

     In addition, many students who have participated in the internship programme hold the view that the internship experience has allowed them to serve the public while playing to their strengths. With the guidance of civil servants, the internship programme has also deepened their understanding on the operation of the Government and has enriched their personal growth and work experience, which helped them identify their future career paths.

Ends/Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:55

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