Letters | Hong Kong’s young people need practical help on problems like internship mismatch
- Readers discuss how schools and employers can help improve young people’s employability, and the need to improve wheelchair accessibility in buildings across the city
In a speech marking the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong special administrative region, President Xi Jinping said we must “help young people with their difficulties in studies, employment, entrepreneurship and purchasing of housing”.
I fully understand the aspiration to offer new suggestions and innovative proposals. My suggestion is simple: go back to basics.
For example, President Xi talked about helping young people with their studies. Is lack of postsecondary places the problem? The secretary for education has said there are 50,000 Diploma of Secondary Education candidates this year, while 62,000 postsecondary places are offered by various institutions. Thus, the problem is probably not a lack of school places.
A main motivation for students pursuing a degree course is the wish to improve their employability – hence higher education institutions’ active partnerships with employers to offer internship opportunities.