The Hong Kong Jockey Club Summer Internship Program for Tertiary Students opened Thursday.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has made a donation of HK$16 million in support of the program for tertiary students. The program is aimed at providing placement opportunities for 1,500 second-year undergraduates from eight publicly funded tertiary institutions in Hong Kong within three years.

Vice President of Polytechnic University (PolyU) of Hong Kong Leung Tin-pui said, "Successful cases and independent surveys indicated that summer placement is an effective and fruitful training for prospective graduates. In addition to professional knowledge, participating students are rewarded with hands-on experience, up-to-date industry information as well as friendship and social skills.

"All these not only equip our students with improved ability and personality, but also allow them to bring added values to their future employers."

This year, about 350 students are expected to work for eight weeks in companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and key cities of the Pearl River Delta, as well as overseas countries like Australia, Britain, the United States and Sweden. These companies cover the areas of mass communications, IT and software development, legal, accounting and financial services, steel and biochemistry manufacturing.

A preparatory training program will be held in early June to prepare these students for their internship.

Kateri Chau and Cherrie Cheng, students of Business Studies of PolyU, have joined the program and will be having placement at China Construction Bank in Shanghai.

Both believed that the program could help them in their future career and personal development.

Chau said it would be a chance for her to test her suitability of working in the business field. She also hoped to build a network of friends in the mainland, which she thought was a key element to pursue career in the mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2004)