Civil Service Secretary Encourages Non-Ethnic Chinese Interns to Enhance Career Prospects at Sharing Session

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, attended a sharing session on the Internship Programme for Non-ethnic Chinese (NEC) Students today (August 8). At the gathering, she listened to the students share their internship experiences and encouraged them to better equip themselves in preparation for their future career planning.

Mrs Yeung was pleased to learn that the students had gained a deeper understanding of the work of the civil service through their internships in different bureaux and departments. She said, "The Government attaches great importance to attracting talent from different backgrounds to join the civil service and building a diversified pool of talent to enhance the quality and efficiency of public service. In the recruitment process, all candidates are assessed on the basis of their ability, performance and character. Race is not, and has never been, a relevant consideration."

To encourage NEC interns to join the Government, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) invited two NEC civil servants, Administrative Officer Mr Gurung Marco Ben and Executive Officer Ms Kaur Gurinder Deep, Diya, to share their experiences and preparation for applying for civil service jobs, as well as their daily work experiences. Born and raised in Hong Kong, both of them possess biliterate and trilingual abilities and were appointed as civil servants through the open recruitment process.

Mrs Yeung added, "We are glad to see more and more NECs joining the civil service and contributing to the development and prosperity of Hong Kong. We look forward to more promising young people joining the civil service and encourage them to equip themselves earlier to take on challenges."

The CSB has been organising the Internship Programme for NEC Students since 2019 with a view to helping young NECs accumulate work experience and strengthen their competitiveness in seeking jobs and deepening their understanding of the operation of the Government through the internship experience. Since the launch of the internship programme, more than 220 NEC students have participated in the programme, including the 44 students who joined this year, which marks a record high. The students were arranged to undertake internships in various bureaux and departments for about eight weeks and were provided with online basic workplace Chinese language self-learning resources to strengthen their Chinese learning.

Mr Sheik Mahmood Afif, a university student studying computer engineering, participated in the internship programme this year. He assisted with the daily operations of the Smart Government Innovation Lab at the Digital Policy Office, including developing AI analysis tools. He believes the internship is highly relevant to his studies, allowing him to apply his knowledge to his work and strengthening his interest in pursuing a career in a technology-related field.

Another intern, Miss Lama Sujata, was posted to the Festivals Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to provide back-end support for programme preparation. She took part in designing promotional materials, hospitality for artists, liaising with venue management, and more. She said that the internship experience has enabled her to familiarise herself with the application of design and image processing software and enhanced her knowledge of event planning, which will greatly help her future career.

Miss Narag Kezra Leigh, a social work student, has just finished her internship at the Youth Employment Division of the Labour Department, where she assisted in promoting the Youth Employment Start, the department's youth employment resource centre. She provided support to social workers in giving talks at secondary schools and organising activities at the centre. The internship experience allowed her to better understand the employment services provided by the Government to the public, in particular for young people, and improved her interpersonal skills through interactions with service users.

Source: AI-found images

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SCS encourages non-ethnic Chinese interns to better equip themselves Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

Government implements multiple measures to promote smart, green and modern logistics development

The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) announced today (January 16) the implementation of various measures, including the formal rollout of the Port Community System (PCS) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Data Collection Tools, as well as the release of the findings of the planning study on the development of a modern logistics cluster in Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (HSK/HT NDA), with a view to promoting the smart, green, sustainable and modern development of Hong Kong's logistics industry through a multipronged approach.

The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB), Photo by Bastille Post

The Secretary of Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, said, "Our country has long been providing solid backing for Hong Kong's maritime development. The Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (FYP) recently promulgated have clearly stated the objective of consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international maritime centre. The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area also mentioned the active implementation of various measures to promote Hong Kong's maritime development. Since the Action Plan on the Modern Logistics Development (the Action Plan) has been promulgated for two years, with the full co-operation of the industry, we have completely implemented all action measures and been leading the Hong Kong logistics industry's transition towards high technology adoption and sustainable growth, thereby enhancing the industry's international competitiveness. We will continue to follow the guidance of the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th FYP, leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world to maintain our position as the region's leading international logistics hub, thereby better integrating into and serving the overall national development."

The logistics industry is one of the pillar industries of Hong Kong. To promote the sustainable and high-quality development of the industry, the Government promulgated the Action Plan in 2023, which formulated eight strategies and 24 action measures to assist the industry in embracing the new era of smart, green and modern logistics. Apart from a number of subsidy schemes to assist the industry in upgrading their operations by adopting smart and green logistics solutions and taking relevant training courses, as well as release land parcels to meet the industry's demand for premium logistics sites in the short to medium term, the Government is also working at full steam to build the new image of modern logistics as "smart, innovative, high-end" and reach out to young people on campus through the Curriculum on Logistics Industry and internship scheme, among others in order to attract young people to join the industry. Externally, on one hand, we commenced logistics co-operation with Guangxi, Chongqing and Chengdu with a view to exploring new cargo sources for Hong Kong. On the other hand, we enhanced overseas promotions to explore business opportunities together with the industry in Belt and Road countries.

PCS

In terms of smart logistics, the PCS, a critical digital infrastructure developed by the Government with over $200 million in funding, was formally rolled out today. It marks a significant milestone for the digital transformation of Hong Kong's port and logistics development.

The system provides one-stop, round-the-clock, real-time cargo tracking and links up sea, land, and air transport networks, thereby holistically enhancing the transparency, efficiency and interconnectivity of the logistics chain. Apart from its core function of real-time cargo tracking, the system will also offer value-added electronic services such as the "One-Data-Multiple-Declarations" function. By facilitating cargo import and export declarations by the industry, the system will provide one-stop services for local logistics and trading companies, thereby supporting the upgrading of the industry.

At today's PCS rollout ceremony, the TLB also signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre and a local logistics start-up company, FUNDel, to accelerate the connection between the PCS and data platforms of the logistics industry, as well as study the utilisation of the trusted cargo flow data on the PCS to help financial institutions assess trade finance applications filed by relevant logistics small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), thereby supporting the sustainable development of the logistics industry.

Findings of the planning study on the development of Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen modern logistics cluster

The findings of the planning study on the development of a modern logistics cluster in the HSK/HT NDA were also announced today. To address the industry's long-term demand for logistics sites, the Government proposed to develop modern logistics clusters in the HSK/HT NDA. The relevant planning study commenced in March 2024 and was completed at the end of 2025.

After conducting a comprehensive consultation with the trade and considering comments from various stakeholders, the study suggests that the logistics cluster should adopt three major development directions, namely be "enterprise-oriented", have a "market-enabling environment" and an "innovative approach to drive industry development". It also suggests measures such as providing tailor-made entry terms for anchor enterprises and increasing the flexibility of development modes, with a view to ensuring the development of the logistics cluster meets the trends and demands of the market.

The TLB plans to invite the industry to submit expressions of interest for the first logistics cluster site this year, and will draw up the relevant land lease terms and development mode after taking into account the intents of the industry to ensure that they keep pace with industry's development needs.

The Study Report has been uploaded to the website of the planning study on the development of a modern logistics cluster in HSK/HT NDA (www.lc-hskht.hk).

ESG Data Collection Tools

ESG is a new international development trend for the logistics trade. Further to the Government's announcement of the Roadmap for ESG Development for Logistics Industry in June 2025 which has outlined a clear way forward for adopting ESG by logistics SMEs, the TLB today further released a set of ESG Data Collection Tools (the Toolkit) tailored for logistics SMEs, with a view to assisting them in taking the first step towards putting ESG into practice.

The Toolkit includes a user-friendly data collection template, a data dictionary and a user manual. It aims to equip SMEs with the ability to collect and record ESG data early and use the collected data to prepare ESG data reports that fulfil international ESG disclosure requirements. In the long run, logistics SMEs may even utilise the data for reviewing and improving their ESG performance, thereby helping to build up Hong Kong logistics industry's sustainability credentials and enhance its competitiveness. Interested companies may register at the ESG Resource Centre on the website of Hong Kong Logistics Development Council (www.logisticshk.gov.hk/en/ESG/ESG_collection.php) to obtain the Toolkit for free.

The TLB will continue to closely liaise and co-operate with the industry, and further consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international logistics hub through various policies and measures. The Government will also ensure that the logistics industry will maintain its edge in the international market and drive the development of trading and maritime industries at the same time by seizing the enormous opportunities brought by national and regional development, thereby promoting the high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy.

The future development of a modern logistics cluster in Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area (HSK/HT NDA), Photo source: the official website of the Lands Department