Grooming the new generation of “InnoTalent” through one-of-a-kind internship programmes

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This article is brought to you by The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC).

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) knows that preparing the future workforce starts today.

Through its various internship programmes, HKPC is future-proofing the workforce of tomorrow. Set up in 1967, HKPC’s mission is to promote productivity excellence through integrated advanced technologies. It may be more than half-a-century old, but its focus remains on the industries of tomorrow – research and development (R&D), Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and digital manufacturing. This means finding, mentoring and skilling the next generation of talent.

HKPC’s internship programmes not only create hands-on experience and learning opportunities for tertiary students to equip themselves for their future careers, but they also groom a new generation of ‘InnoTalent’ and give impetus to Hong Kong’s technology and industrialisation initiatives.

“The unstoppable wave of innovation and technology (I&T) has swept through the world in recent years,” said Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC.

The pandemic has also propelled the market to adopt new technologies such as IoT, robotics, real-time monitoring, and automated systems, all of which require extensive R&D support.

“Talent is undoubtedly the most essential element of I&T which is why HKPC is attaching great importance to talent training and is committed to equipping young people with the necessary job skills to cope with future trends at work,” Butt said.

Taking the HKPC Summer InnoTalent Programme 2021 as an example, interns were deployed to nine divisions to gain hands-on experience in different specialities which included everything from green living and innovation to robotics and AI. They also had the opportunity to participate in workshops jointly organised by HKPC and the MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node for the first time, deepening their understanding of AI, big data and other technologies.

This programme allows interns to immerse themselves in a multitude of skills they will need as a future-ready employee and gain distinctive hands-on experience.

“The interns also go on job shadowing with the management to sample their hectic work life and strengthen their understanding of business management for nurturing themselves into all-round InnoTalents,” said Eliza Ng, Chief People and Culture Officer of HKPC.

Mentorship with the HKPC experts allows interns to test their capabilities and put into practice what they have learnt.

But HKPC internship programmes go beyond an extracurricular activity. The primary goal is to create long-term careers for tertiary students, empowering these home-grown talents to engage in the I&T industry.

HKPC will keep in touch with the interns and provide them with industry information through the ‘Intern Graduate Ambassador’ programme, helping them to get ready to enter the R&D profession; or even rejoin the HKPC family after graduation as full-time employees, where they continue to grow their skills, as learning and development remains a core part of HKPC’s values.

“The interns this year are no longer just empty talk,” Ng added. “During the internship, they have the chance to experience first-hand the results of our R&D and reindustrialisation projects.”

The next cohort of the Winter InnoTalent Programme will be held from December 2021 to January 2022. 

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