Programme funded by Maritime Silk Road Society drew close to 500 applicants
SHIRLEY.ZHAO@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Friday, 20 May, 2016, 2:39pm
Regina Ip, co-chair of the Maritime Silk Road Society, in a group picture with the students. Photo: Edward Wong
Nearly 100 tertiary students selected from close to 500 applicants will take up summer internships in different regions involved in the “One Belt, One Road” strategy, under a programme funded by the Maritime Silk Road Society.
The internship places are sponsored by 18 corporations mainly headquartered in Hong Kong or the mainland, which will send the students, from 10 local tertiary institutions, to their branches for four to eight weeks during this summer holiday in a variety of cities on the mainland, and in Canada and other nine Southeast Asian, European and African countries.
The companies include both state-owned and private enterprises, such as Bank of China, China Merchants Group, China Resources Property, Nanjing China Railway, CLP Holdings, K Wah Construction Materials, Kerry Logistics Network, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Swire Group and the Hong Kong and China Gas Company.
The society received a total of 486 applications and selected 93 applicants for the programme. According to the society, students were selected based on their attitude, language ability, problem solving skills, communication skills and logical thinking ability.
We feel that the One Belt, One Road strategy will provide opportunities for young people.
Lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee
“We feel that the One Belt, One Road strategy will provide opportunities for young people,” said New People’s Party founder and lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who also co-chairs the society.
“[The strategy] will take several generations to complete, so we feel young people should start equipping themselves with more understanding of the countries involved and widen their horizons.”
Ip said the society would consider inviting more businesses based in the hosting countries to join the programme next year on top of Hong Kong and mainland businesses.
Other countries involved in the programme include Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Czech Republic and Djibouti.
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1948474/ninety-three-hong-kong-students-picked-summer
