SCS visits Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University to meet Hong Kong students (with photos)

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, visited the campuses of Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University in Guangzhou today (September 6) to meet with Hong Kong students studying there to learn more about their study and career aspirations. She also briefed them on the various job opportunities provided by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and welcomed students who are committed and determined to serve the people of Hong Kong to apply for jobs with the HKSAR Government.
 
     At present, there are over 18 000 Hong Kong students studying in Mainland higher education institutions. Among the Mainland higher education institutions with which Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) students have applied for admission in the 2022/23 academic year, Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University are the two universities receiving the largest number of applications from these students. Jinan University currently has about 7 000 Hong Kong students.
 
     At the two universities, Mrs Yeung and the Director of General Grades of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB), Mr Hermes Chan, met with more than 230 Hong Kong students to introduce the work of the HKSAR Government civil service and the employment opportunities available for young people. They learned about students' career aspirations and answered their enquiries.
 
     Mrs Yeung also met and exchanged views with the President of Jinan University, Professor Song Xianzhong, to know more about the university's development as well as the learning and employment situation of Hong Kong students.
 
     She said the recruitment promotion work of the Government seeks to attract not only local graduates, but also individuals of different backgrounds, including Mainland and overseas graduates, as well as the working population, to join the Government. As more and more local students pursue further studies on the Mainland, with the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the CSB has been strengthening promotion and recruitment efforts for Hong Kong students studying on the Mainland this year.
 
     Mrs Yeung's visit to the Mainland universities also kicked off a series of promotion and publicity activities as well as recruitment exercises, of which CSB officers will extend publicity efforts to university campuses in Beijing and Shanghai later. The CSB will also work closely with the HKSAR Government Offices on the Mainland to enhance publicity and promotion. Apart from promotions on the Mainland, the Government will concurrently strengthen liaisons with Hong Kong universities to deepen local students' understanding of the work of the civil service and the employment opportunities provided by the Government. The Government will also step up publicity efforts on electronic platforms and work with the Hong Kong overseas Economic and Trade Offices to bring the message of civil service recruitment to Hong Kong students studying overseas.
 
     Mrs Yeung explained to the students that appointments to the civil service are based on the principle of open and fair competition. All candidates are assessed on the basis of their ability, performance and character, and having regard to the stipulated entry requirements set according to the job requirements of the grade concerned. Successful applicants have to fulfil the entry requirements before they are offered appointments and hence, candidates should prepare well in advance and know more about the nature and requirements of the posts for which they are applying.
 
     The next round of recruitment exercises for the posts of Administrative Officer, Executive Officer II, Assistant Labour Officer II, Assistant Trade Officer II, Management Services Officer II and Transport Officer II will begin in mid-September. In addition, different departments/grades are planning to conduct recruitment exercises later this year, while a number of grades will conduct year-round recruitment. Different employment opportunities are provided to graduates from different disciplines.
 
     The HKSAR Government will follow the lead in Beijing and set up an additional examination venue in Shanghai in December this year to enable Hong Kong candidates studying or residing in eastern parts of China to take the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) and Basic Law and National Security Law Test (BLNST). In addition, starting from this year, 22 departments/grades have extended the positions' application requirements to cover, in addition to graduates of next year (2024), students who are currently studying for a bachelor's degree or postgraduate qualifications and will graduate in 2025. Hong Kong students studying on the Mainland and overseas and will graduate in 2025 may also sit for the examinations.
 
     As the largest employer in Hong Kong, the Government attaches great importance to recruiting talent from both within and outside Hong Kong. The Government maintains a clear and well-structured career development system for civil servants to attract, retain and promote talent, and actively infuses new blood into the civil service to fill vacancies arising from retirement and leaving the service.
 
     The CSB reminds potential candidates for government posts who have yet to attain the requisite results should sit for the relevant papers of the CRE and the BLNST and attain the requisite results in order to be considered for appointment. Interested parties should note that the CRE and/or BLNST are scheduled to be held in eight cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, London, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Vancouver and Sydney in December this year.
 
     For information on matters related to civil service recruitment and job vacancies, as well as the latest examination arrangements, please visit the website of the CSB: www.csb.gov.hk/english/recruit/7.html.