Officials and students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on Monday praised Chinese mainland internet giant Tencent Holdings’ internship program as having helped trainees to gain a deeper understanding of the mainland’s technological development, and better integrate into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
They spoke at an event marking the completion of a summer internship at the Shenzhen-based conglomerate.
Co-organized by the Tencent Youth Development Committee and Tencent Talent, the program was aimed at providing practical opportunities for youth from the two special administrative regions and Taiwan, including college students and those who’ve just started working, to become the backbone of future technological innovation.
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More than 100 students joined the program this year, including those from Peking University (PKU), The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Nearly half of them undertook internships for technology-related positions, with the highest proportion in fields like game development, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data.
“Through diversified training, Tencent has helped students to acquire interdisciplinary knowledge and experience. It has also enabled them to gain exposure to the cutting-edge development of the country’s digital economy, and better integrate into national development,” said Chan Iok-wai, head of the students’ department at the Macao SAR’s Education and Youth Development Bureau.
Fong Shui-yee, chief executive manager (youth affairs) of Hong Kong’s Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, said the bureau is committed to offering diversified mainland exchanges and internship programs, enabling Hong Kong’s young people to gain an in-depth understanding of the overall national development and global development trends, while experiencing workplace culture at large enterprises.
“The program encourages Hong Kong youth to seek new opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and help them plan their careers,” she said.
Tencent’s program is in line with Hong Kong’s efforts to broaden development space for young people by offering them more opportunities to work on the mainland. Hong Kong launched the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme, which encourages enterprises operating in the SAR and the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area to hire young Hong Kong people and allow them to work on the mainland.
According to Hong Kong’s Labour and Welfare Bureau, 718 and 417 youths had secured jobs under the program in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
“The internship has given me the opportunity to engage with people from all walks of life. Through visits and research, I’ve identified and organized the real needs in fields like the digital transformation of public welfare organizations and youth science and technology education,” said Carina Yu from Hong Kong, who was trained at the Tencent Foundation.
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“From participating in project management and promoting cross-business collaboration to deliver social values, to experiencing the momentum of the country’s rapid development in scientific and technological innovation, every step on this journey has been deeply inspiring to me,” she said.
May Mei, leader of Tencent Campus Relations, which is responsible for recruiting students and securing university partnerships, said Hong Kong’s education system, which boasts strong global standings in areas like arts and finance, aligns well with the conglomerate’s business scenarios. Its students’ bilingual proficiency also provides key support for the company’s overseas expansion efforts.
Tencent has established ties with Hong Kong universities through internship bases and academic collaboration, and offers dual mentorship to nurture and retain young people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, she added.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
