The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended a sharing session on the Internship Programme for Non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) Students today (August 8). At the gathering, she listened to the students share their internship experiences and encouraged them to better equip themselves in preparation for their future career planning.

     Mrs Yeung was pleased to learn that the students had gained a deeper understanding of the work of the civil service through their internships in different bureaux and departments. She said, "The Government attaches great importance to attracting talent from different backgrounds to join the civil service and building a diversified pool of talent to enhance the quality and efficiency of public service. In the recruitment process, all candidates are assessed on the basis of their ability, performance and character. Race is not, and has never been, a relevant consideration."

     To encourage NEC interns to join the Government, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) invited two NEC civil servants, Administrative Officer Mr Gurung Marco Ben and Executive Officer Ms Kaur Gurinder Deep, Diya, to share their experiences and preparation for applying for civil service jobs, as well as their daily work experiences. Born and raised in Hong Kong, both of them possess biliterate and trilingual abilities and were appointed as civil servants through the open recruitment process.  

     Mrs Yeung added, "We are glad to see more and more NECs joining the civil service and contributing to the development and prosperity of Hong Kong. We look forward to more promising young people joining the civil service and encourage them to equip themselves earlier to take on challenges."

     The CSB has been organising the Internship Programme for NEC Students since 2019 with a view to helping young NECs accumulate work experience and strengthen their competitiveness in seeking jobs and deepening their understanding of the operation of the Government through the internship experience. Since the launch of the internship programme, more than 220 NEC students have participated in the programme, including the 44 students who joined this year, which marks a record high. The students were arranged to undertake internships in various bureaux and departments for about eight weeks and were provided with online basic workplace Chinese language self-learning resources to strengthen their Chinese learning.

     Mr Sheik Mahmood Afif, a university student studying computer engineering, participated in the internship programme this year. He assisted with the daily operations of the Smart Government Innovation Lab at the Digital Policy Office, including developing AI analysis tools. He believes the internship is highly relevant to his studies, allowing him to apply his knowledge to his work and strengthening his interest in pursuing a career in a technology-related field.

     Another intern, Miss Lama Sujata, was posted to the Festivals Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to provide back-end support for programme preparation. She took part in designing promotional materials, hospitality for artists, liaising with venue management, and more. She said that the internship experience has enabled her to familiarise herself with the application of design and image processing software and enhanced her knowledge of event planning, which will greatly help her future career.

     Miss Narag Kezra Leigh, a social work student, has just finished her internship at the Youth Employment Division of the Labour Department, where she assisted in promoting the Youth Employment Start, the department's youth employment resource centre. She provided support to social workers in giving talks at secondary schools and organising activities at the centre. The internship experience allowed her to better understand the employment services provided by the Government to the public, in particular for young people, and improved her interpersonal skills through interactions with service users.

Ends/Friday, August 8, 2025
Issued at HKT 18:05

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