SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to prepare well for future careers

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip, today (August 18) met with non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) students participating in the government internship programme to learn about their internship experience. He encouraged them to fully equip themselves to meet the challenges ahead before entering the job market.
　
     Mr Nip said that in light of the positive feedback on the pilot internship programme last year, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) invited more local higher education institutions to take part in the programme this year and doubled the number of internship placements so that more NEC students could have the opportunity to take up internships in the Government and acquire work experience to prepare well for their future careers.
 
     "We also hope that through participating in the programme, the students can gain a better understanding of the Government's delivery of public services to NEC people in different areas," Mr Nip said.
 
     "The Government attaches great importance to providing support for NEC people and strives to help them integrate into society. The CSB has all along been reminding all heads of departments and grades to keep on reviewing and ensuring that the Chinese language proficiency requirements (LPRs) of related government jobs are no more than necessary for performance of the job, so that NEC people would have equal access to government job opportunities like other applicants. In recent years, we have also strengthened our promotional efforts, hoping to let NEC people have a better understanding of civil service job opportunities with a view to attracting them to join the civil service. This internship programme for NEC students is one of our notable measures."
 
     This year, a total of 30 NEC students have been posted to various government bureaux and departments for internships lasting around eight weeks. Some placements are relevant to the provision of public services to NEC communities or require application of knowledge of NEC languages or cultures, allowing the interns to give full play to their strengths.
 
     One of the interns, Miss Rukayya Bibi, has been posted to the Medical Social Services Unit of the Social Welfare Department in Tuen Mun Hospital, where she has assisted in handling the medical fee waiver applications by non-refoulement claimants. Being multilingual, Miss Bibi communicates with the applicants in their languages as far as possible to help them better grasp the application procedures. She said she has not only been able to acquire hands-on work experience through the programme, but also found it fulfilling to have the opportunity to serve NEC people directly.
 
     Another intern, Miss Sujasna Tamang, has been posted to the Census Planning Section of the Census and Statistics Department to conduct proofreading of the translation of the 2021 Population Census website and publicity materials in NEC languages. Miss Tamang said that the internship programme has enhanced her understanding of the importance of population census work and she has learned a lot with the guidance and support from her colleagues, especially in learning Chinese.
     
     Mr Janam Patel, an intern in the Europe Division of the Trade and Industry Department, has been tasked to assist in compiling trade statistics relating to Hong Kong and European countries and collecting data on some economic and trade issues. Mr Patel, who majors in marketing, said the internship has allowed him to apply his knowledge and deepened his understanding of the economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and Europe, giving him a fruitful internship experience amid the epidemic.
 
     Miss Bibi, Miss Tamang and Mr Patel shared the view that the Government's ongoing review of the Chinese LPRs for all civil service grades would help to provide more opportunities for NEC people to join the Government to serve the community.