How do Hong Kong s senior secondary school students perceive capitalising on the opportunities in Mainland China?

Transcription

1 How do Hong Kong s senior secondary school students perceive capitalising on the opportunities in Mainland China? Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre February 2015

2 The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Guangzhou and Shenzhen were projected to surpass that of Hong Kong over the next decade, according to the research report Guangdong s Economic Transformation in the 12th Five-Year Plan and Hong Kong s Opportunities released by the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre (the Centre) in August The report said, in pace with the industrial structure transformation, focusing on high-tech industry development and steering to domestic demand of Guangdong, Hong Kong should spare no efforts to capture the rapidly growing market of Guangdong with a population of 100 million as a matter of priority. Four months after the release of the report, i.e. December 2011, the Central Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government reached agreement on the enhancement of economic and trade co-operation and exchanges between the two sides and signed the Supplement VIII to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). Both parties signed the Supplement X to CEPA, covering a total of 403 liberalisation measures for trade in services, as at August CEPA has brought more economic impetus to local residents, thereby promoting the sustainable development of society. Meanwhile, it reflects the progress of the Central Government in opening up the services industry to Hong Kong, with the aim of basically achieving full liberalisation of trade in services between the Mainland and Hong Kong by On the other hand, the rapid growth of economy in different Mainland cities and the trend of globalisation have set a sea change to the global value chain system; if Hong Kong does not fully understand the economic development trend of the Mainland and seize the transformation opportunity to strengthen its long-term competitiveness, there would be a chance of being marginalised. 2. The gradual opening up of markets in Mainland provinces and cities, coupled with the rapid economic growth, provide a lot of career development opportunities for Hong Kong young people. The Centre holds the view that pursuing development in the Mainland may not be suitable for each and every young people. After all, they must consider their own merits and aspiration in details. Whether young people could unleash their potential and have further development in the Mainland depend on their ability to seize opportunities and their competitiveness. Young people are the future of our society. We believe that the community would support them to develop their talents. Apart from providing support measures on education and employment, the Government also encourages young people to participate in subsidised exchange and internship programmes, to widen their horizons, enhance their understanding of the world, and seize the opportunities of globalisation and integration between Hong Kong and the 2

3 Mainland. 3. Exchanges between Hong Kong and the Mainland in the economic and social aspects are more frequent since the reunification, so do the various Mainland exchange and internship programmes for Hong Kong young people. The Chief Executive proposed to provide a subsidy for students to join at least one Mainland exchange programme each in the primary and secondary stages in 2015 Policy Address published in January In addition, the Chief Executive suggested doubling the number of primary and secondary sister schools in Hong Kong and the Mainland to about 600 pairs within the three years from the 2015/16 school year. At the same time, the Government will explore with Mainland provinces and cities to expand and enhance such exchange and co-operation. Young people can broaden their horizons through two-way visits, life experience activities, cultural and service collaboration as well as job-seeking experience sharing. 1 The Government continues to increase subsidies to related programmes in recent years. Undoubtedly, this helps enhance young people s understanding of the Mainland culture and its opportunities and challenges during the development process. Nevertheless, the effectiveness remains to be reviewed upon detailed programme arrangement. Whether the resources are well utilised is also a major concern. Could the Mainland exchange and internship programmes meet the expectations of senior secondary school students? 4. The Centre released a survey on the Attitudes of Hong Kong Youth towards Seeking Employment in Mainland China in January 2015, which reveals that 64.7% of young respondents are not willing to seek employment in the Mainland. It is found that deficiency in knowledge on laws and regulations and work environment of the Mainland are the major factors that deter the local young people from seeking employment in the Mainland. 2 Different policy supports, such as exchange and internship programmes, would enable the young people to get first-hand experience and better understanding 1 The 2015 Policy Address, paragraph 157, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 14 January, The target group of the survey was Hong Kong young people aged between 18 and 29 without experience of working in the Mainland, Attitudes of Hong Kong Youth towards Seeking Employment in Mainland China, the Centre, January,

4 of the Mainland. In fact, the preparation of life planning for young people involves different stages. In particular, senior secondary school students, who are soon to graduate, have to decide between further study and employment. It is worth exploring whether the purpose, content, and arrangement of the existing exchange and internship programmes can meet the expectations of senior secondary school students, thereby helping them to have a better understanding of the Mainland and seize the development opportunities. 5. In this regard, the Centre attempts to review the purpose, mission and nature of the existing Mainland exchange and internship programmes subsidised by the Government and held by different organisations for the young people. As a pilot exercise, we sent out 1,450 questionnaires (response rate: 25.2%) to Secondary 6 (S6) students studying in full-time secondary school in 2014/15 in order to analyse whether the exchange and internship programmes could meet the needs of senior secondary school students. This helps propose more appropriate policy supports to facilitate young people to have a better understanding of the Mainland and seize the opportunities (see Appendices I and II on details of the Fieldwork and survey results). The focus of this study is not to enumerate all the exchange and internship programmes and their development, but to discuss whether the arrangements of the existing governmentfunded programmes can meet the needs of senior secondary school students. Although this pilot opinion survey only covered S6 students in 10 secondary schools and may not be able to infer the overall situation, the results still reflect the general nature and features to a certain extent and serve as good references. The effectiveness of Mainland exchange programmes is yet to be reviewed 6. The Government subsidises various exchange and internship programmes with the aim of encouraging the young people to seize numerous opportunities of globalisation and enhancing their knowledge of the motherland as well as the culture and development of other places. Depending on the purpose, schools, local registered organisations, statutory bodies or community organisations can apply to organise different exchange programmes. At the press conference on education and youth development initiatives in 2015 Policy Address held in January 2015, the Secretary for Education recommended providing a subsidy for students to join at least one Mainland 4

5 exchange programme each in the primary and secondary stages so as to deepen and consolidate their learning in class and get first-hand experience of the national development in different aspects. Take the Senior Secondary School Students Mainland Exchange Programme Subvention Scheme held by Education Bureau (EDB) as an example, it aims to facilitate schools to organise Mainland exchange programmes for senior secondary school students to meet their school-based needs, so as to enhance students understanding of the history, culture and development of the Mainland and broaden their horizons. 3 According to the statistics of EDB, on average around 20,000 secondary school students were subsidised to participate in Mainland exchange programmes and the average expenditure was around HK$33 million in the past three years (i.e. fiscal years 2011/12 to 2013/14). It is estimated that 38,000 secondary school students (up by 90%) will be subsidised to participate in the Mainland exchange programmes in 2014/15, and the related expenditure estimates will be around HK$53 million (up by more than 60%) In order to strengthen connections with Mainland schools, EDB implemented the Sister Schools Scheme between Hong Kong and the Mainland since Through the authority s coordination, 300 pairs of sister schools were established and diversified exchange activities at different aspects were held till early Recently, the Secretary for Education proposed to increase the number of Hong Kong-Mainland primary and secondary sister schools to about 600 in three years progressively through a three-year pilot scheme launched from the 2015/16 school year, and to provide an annual grant of HK$120,000 to each public sector or Direct Subsidy Scheme school having formed sister school(s) with the Mainland to support the multi-faceted development of sister school activities On the other hand, Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) and the Commission on Youth (CoY) co-organised a Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland (formerly 3 Senior Secondary School Students Mainland Exchange Programme Subvention Scheme 2014, EDB circular, website: 4 Finance Committee in examining the Estimates of Expenditure of EDB , website: 5 Clear the Air of the sister school scheme (only available in Chinese), EDB, website: 6 Opening remarks by the Secretary for Education at press conference on education and youth development initiatives in 2015 Policy Address, website: 5

6 known as Community Participation Scheme for Organising Study Tours to the Mainland). The scheme aims at, through sponsoring community organisations to organise exchange tours to the Mainland, enhancing Hong Kong young people s awareness and understanding of their home country. The scheme does not limit the eligible participants to be senior secondary school students, but opens to Hong Kong young people aged between 12 and According to the statistics of HAB, on average around 10,000 young people benefited from the scheme and the average sponsorship was around HK$20 million in the past three years. 8 At the press conference on youth development initiatives in 2015 Policy Address, the Secretary for Home Affairs also said that the Government will continue to raise finances for the scheme to cover more young people The above background information shows that both the number of beneficiaries and the amount of sponsorship have been continuously rising in recent years, reflecting the determination of the authority on promoting the aforementioned schemes. Through the schemes discussed above, schools and different organisations can design programmes with specific themes to facilitate Hong Kong young people to have a better understanding of the Mainland. The activities were very diversified which covered various themes, such as economic development, ecological conservation, history and culture, social system, technology development, service experiences, etc. The programmes also consisted of leadership training, seminars, visits, exchange activities, project learning, etc. The participants are usually required to prepare reports or organise project exhibitions for experience sharing after the activities. Overall speaking, participants generally give positive feedbacks and express that they have gained deeper understanding of the Mainland. However, access to information about whether each programme can meet the needs of participants is not available. 7 Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland , CoY, website: 8 Finance Committee in examining the Estimates of Expenditure of HAB and , websites: Opening remarks by the Secretary for Home Affairs at the press conference on youth development initiatives in 2015 Policy Address, website: 6

7 Senior secondary school students generally show willingness to join Mainland exchange programmes 10. The survey conducted by the Centre found that 57.8% of respondents would consider participating in Mainland exchange programme. For those who have participated in Mainland exchange programme before, 80.8% of them indicated that they would consider participating again (table 1). This shows that access to and understanding of the Mainland have a positive effect on the willingness to participate in Mainland exchange programme again. Table 1:Willingness to participate in Mainland exchange programme (%) Have participated in Have not participated in Total Mainland Exchange Programme before Mainland Exchange Programme before Yes No Total On the other hand, the respondents indicated that their considerations on whether to participate in Mainland exchange programme are mainly related to societal aspects of the Mainland. Among the reasons, to understand the society / culture of the Mainland (29.0%) and to experience life in the Mainland (23.9%) are their major considerations for participation, while concerns about fear of security / personal safety (27.6%) and fear of food safety / hygiene (26.8%) would deter them from considering participating in Mainland exchange programme. At the same time, sponsorship and programme fee is also a significant factor of consideration (accounting for 20.2% of the respondents who would consider participating; accounting for 9.2% of the respondents who would not consider participating). Overall speaking, the respondents said that city / region to visit (28.2%), accommodation / meals / transportation arrangements (21.0%) and theme / activities of the exchange programmes (20.9%) are what they are concerned about most; and increase subsidy / lower the programme fee (32.5%) and provide diversified activities (26.2%) are the measures that may attract them to 7

8 join the exchange programme most. Thus, apart from the arrangement of the exchange programmes, the respondents also consider the related fee as an important factor that attract them to participate. To better meet the needs of young people, the Centre proposes the related bureaux / departments to have an in-depth understanding on the views of young people who have participated in Mainland exchange programmes before, and to examine the effectiveness of those activities as well as whether public resources were properly used. Mainland internship opportunities for senior secondary school students are to be improved 12. Regarding Mainland internship programme, apart from the programmes provided by individual enterprises for recruiting talents, the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland (formerly known as Community Participation Scheme for Organising Study Tours to the Mainland) co-organised by HAB and CoY is one of the programmes with larger scale. The scheme aims at, through sponsoring different organisations to provide Mainland internship opportunities for Hong Kong young people aged between 18 and 29, enhancing their understanding of the work environment and culture in the Mainland. 10 Reviewing the earlier figures, the total number of internship projects sponsored by the Community Participation Scheme for Organising Study Tours to the Mainland increased from five in 2009/10 to nine in 2013/14, and the approved number of sponsored youth and the approved sponsorship surged from 390 persons and HK$1.2 million to 645 persons and HK$ 4.6 million respectively. Industries covered by the scheme have continued to expand, including finance, legal, insurance, trading, building, catering, tourism, social service, IT, civil service, media, etc. till 2013/14 which were benefited from the integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland and CEPA. 11 Benefited from the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland, there were 38 sponsored projects in 2014/15 and the number increased to 59 in 2015/ The Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland , CoY, website: 11 Finance Committee in examining the Estimates of Expenditure of HAB , website: 12 List of programmes under the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland and (only available in Chinese), CoY, websites: 8

9 13. Overviewing the development of related schemes, there were significant growths in terms of the number of projects, the number of participants, the amount of subsidies, as well as the industry coverage. Nevertheless, most of the target participants are tertiary students, while Mainland internship opportunities for senior secondary school students are visibly lower. Based on our findings, 97.8% of the respondents have not participated in Mainland internship programme, whereas 41.0% of the respondents indicated that they would consider participating. For those who have participated in Mainland exchange programmes before, half of them indicated that they would consider participating in Mainland internship programme, reflecting that the senior secondary school students who have participated in Mainland exchange programme are interested in participating in Mainland internship programme (table 2). Table 2:Willingness to participate in Mainland internship programme (%) Have participated in Have not participated in Total Mainland Exchange Programme before Mainland Exchange Programme before Yes No Total For the respondents who consider participating in Mainland internship programme, to acquire job skills / experience (36.8%) and to understand the society / culture of the Mainland (17.4%) are the main reasons that attract them to participate in Mainland internship programme. Same as those who do not consider participating in Mainland exchange programme, many of the respondents expressed fear of security / personal safety (29.7%) and fear of food safety / hygiene (20.0%) and thus do not consider participating in Mainland internship programme. Overall speaking, the respondents said that job position / nature (21.8%) and job skills / experience (20.1%) are their major concerns if participating in Mainland internship programme. In addition, more than half of the respondents mentioned that provide internship opportunity in a sizable / reputable enterprise (31.7%) and increase wages / subsidy (24.4%) are the best ways to attract them to participate in internship programme. For 9

10 the senior secondary school students who have to decide between further study and employment, apart from having a better understanding of the Mainland through exchange activities, the opportunity in getting first-hand experiences in the workplace and acquiring job skills / experience through Mainland internship programme and even winning the favour of the employer to work in the Mainland are more valuable. 15. Lastly, the survey results show that 30.4% of the respondents would consider pursuing further development in the Mainland in the next five years, while 35.1% of the respondents who have participated in the Mainland exchange programme indicated that they would consider pursuing further development in the Mainland (table 3). The proportion of respondents who have participated in Mainland internship programme is too small for further analysis, yet it is believed that the opportunities offered by internship programme would help them further develop in the Mainland. It is worth noting that the respondents who would consider pursuing further development in the Mainland in the next five years believed more opportunities in the Mainland than in Hong Kong (30.8%) and 32.7% of the respondents said that strengthening the support to Hong Kong people in the Mainland can attract them to pursue further development in the Mainland. Table 3:Willingness to pursue further development in the Mainland in the next five years (%) Have participated in Have not participated in Total Mainland Exchange Programme before Mainland Exchange Programme before Yes No Total Appropriate support would help seize the development opportunity 16. In conclusion, the Government has increasingly allocated resources in subsidising Hong Kong young people to participate in Mainland exchange and internship programmes. Regarding Mainland exchange programme, schools and different organisations organised diversified activities which covered various themes to 10

11 meet the needs of different people. The Centre believes that the authority should comprehensively review the effectiveness of each programme which involves further understanding of the beneficiaries needs so as to enhance each programme and make better use of the resources. The survey results show that, apart from concerns about the arrangements and details of the activity (such as experiencing and understanding the lifestyle and culture in the Mainland, concerning the place to visit and its arrangements, etc.), the respondents also indicated that increase in subsidy / lower the programme fee is the measure that may attract them to join the exchange programme most. We recommend the authority to maintain close connection with the programme organisers, and to understand and review the purpose, content, and arrangement of the programmes based on the needs of the participants. 17. As for the Mainland internship programme, currently only a few of them are subsidised by the Government for senior secondary school students. The survey results show that although more than 40% of the respondents would consider participating in Mainland internship programme, around 98% of the respondents have not participated in any Mainland internship programmes before. Given that job position / nature and job skills / experience are the major concerns of the respondents, the Government and related organisations should provide internship opportunities in sizable / reputable enterprises and increase wages / subsidy to attract them to participate in the internship programme. Meanwhile, it is believed that strengthening the support to Hong Kong people in the Mainland will help attract them to pursue further development in the Mainland. 18. Exchange, internship, and development play different roles in life planning of young people, and the Government has an active role in this regard. Statistics show that the authority has spared no effort to encourage young people to learn more about the Mainland, and to help them grasp one more opportunity in their further development. The survey results show that the respondents who have participated in Mainland exchange programme are more willing to participate in Mainland exchange programme, Mainland internship programme and pursue further development in the Mainland. This reflects that having first-hand experience and understanding of the Mainland is crucial. For the senior secondary school students who are about to graduate and have to decide 11

12 between further study and work, exchange and internship opportunities would help them decide their future development path. The Government and related organisations should investigate the needs of the participants thoroughly, and provide more appropriate supports to help them get first-hand understanding of the social, economic and employment situation in the Mainland so as to seize the development opportunity in the Mainland. ~ The End ~ 12

13 Appendix I: Details of the Fieldwork Objective : To understand the willingness of Hong Kong senior secondary school students to participate in Mainland exchange and internship programmes and to pursue further development in the Mainland. Date : September 24, 2014 October 28, 2014 Target population Method : Secondary 6 (S6) students studying in full-time secondary school in 2014/15 school year : Self-administered survey Sampling : Invitation s were sent out to school teachers based on the list of 33 full-time secondary schools (covering around 4,000 S6 students) provided by our strategic partner Hong Kong Spirit. Upon approval of participating in the survey by the school, the questionnaires were delivered by post or by our staff who collected the questionnaires afterward. A total number of 1,450 questionnaires were sent out to 10 schools, and 1,005 copies were successfully collected. Successful Sample : 982 Fieldwork Results Number of questionnaire delivered : 1,450 Number of questionnaire collected : 1,005 Response rate : 25.2% Limitation : This is a pilot opinion survey which only covered S6 students in 10 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Although the survey results may not be able to infer the overall situation, the results still reflect the general nature and features to a certain extent and serve as good references. 13

14 Appendix II: Survey Results Profile of the Respondents Table 1: Background Profile of the Respondents Frequency Gender Male Female Total (982) Academic performance Excellent / Good Fair Poor / Very poor Don t know / hard to say Total (982) Social class of family Upper / Upper-middle Middle Lower-middle / Lower Don t know / hard to say Total (982) Type of housing Tenant Public rental / Home Ownership Scheme housing unit Private residential housing unit, including village house Owner Public rental / Home Ownership Scheme housing unit Private residential housing unit, including village house Others Don t know / hard to say Total (982)

15 Mainland Exchange Table 2: Participation in Mainland exchange programme Yes 45.0 No 55.0 (Valid samples) (982) Table 3: Willingness to participate in Mainland exchange programme Yes 57.8 No 42.2 (Valid samples) (982) Table 4: The reason for considering participating in Mainland exchange programme To understand the society / culture of the Mainland 29.0 To experience lifestyle in the Mainland 23.9 More subsidy / cheap programme fee 20.2 To establish social connections 11.6 To improve communication skills in Mandarin 8.8 Encouraged by families / friends 1.0 Others 2.9 Don t know / hard to say 2.7 (Valid samples) (568) 15

16 Table 5: The reason for NOT considering participating in Mainland exchange programme Fear of security / personal safety 27.6 Fear of food safety / hygiene 26.8 Unfamiliar with the environment 9.8 Less subsidy / expensive programme fee 9.2 Worry about communication skills in Mandarin 6.0 Do not want to separate from families/friends 3.4 Others 6.3 Don t know / hard to say 11.0 (Valid samples) (414) Table 6: Most concerned things if participating in Mainland exchange programme City / region to visit 28.2 Accommodation / meals / transportation arrangements 21.0 Theme / activities 20.9 Subsidy / fee 14.5 Date / length 7.2 Number of participants 2.7 Others 2.1 Don t know / hard to say 3.5 (Valid samples) (982) 16

17 Table 7: The measures that Government or organisers can do to attract students to participate in Mainland exchange programme Increase subsidy / lower the programme fee 32.5 Provide diversified activities, such as sightseeing 26.2 Provide certificates 13.5 Increase publicity and promotional activities 11.6 Increase pre-tour supports, such as briefing section 8.1 Others 2.3 Don t know/hard to say 5.9 (Valid samples) (982) Mainland Internship Table 8: Participation in Mainland internship programme Yes 2.2 No 97.8 (Valid samples) (982) Table 9: Willingness to participate in Mainland internship programme Yes 41.0 No 59.0 (Valid samples) (982) 17

18 Table 10: The reason for considering participating in Mainland internship programme To acquire job skills / experience 36.8 To understand the society/culture of the Mainland 17.4 To establish social connections 15.9 To earn wages 15.1 To improve communication skills in Mandarin 11.4 Encouraged by families / friends 1.4 Others 0.6 Don t know / hard to say 1.4 (Valid samples) (403) Table 11: The reason for NOT considering participating in a Mainland internship programme Fear of security / personal safety 29.7 Fear of food safety / hygiene 20.0 Unfamiliar with the environment 15.2 Low wages 10.8 Worry about communication skills in Mandarin 6.8 Do not want to separate from families/friends 6.2 Others 2.5 Don t know / hard to say 8.9 (Valid samples) (579) 18

19 Table 12: Most concerned things if participating in Mainland internship programme Job position / nature 21.8 Job skills / experience 20.1 Accommodation / meals / transportation arrangements 17.5 City / region to work 17.4 Wages 13.3 Date / length 4.2 Others 1.5 Don t know / hard to say 4.3 (Valid samples) (982) Table 13: The measures that Government or organisers can do to attract students to participate in Mainland internship programme Provide internship opportunity in a sizable / reputable enterprise 31.7 Increase wages / subsidy 24.4 Provide certificates 11.4 Provide diversified activities, such as sightseeing 8.2 Increase publicity and promotional activities 7.3 Increase pre-tour supports, such as briefing section 7.1 Others 1.3 Don t know / hard to say 8.4 (Valid samples) (982) 19

20 Pursue further development in the Mainland Table 14: Willingness to pursue further development in the Mainland in the next five years Yes 30.4 No 69.7 (Valid samples) (982) Table 15: The reason for considering pursuing further development in the Mainland in the next five years More opportunities in the Mainland than in Hong Kong 30.8 To gain / accumulate experience 24.1 Self-training 18.6 To establish social connections 12.1 To understand the society / culture of the Mainland 8.7 Encouraged by families / friends 2.0 Others 1.3 Don t know / hard to say 2.4 (Valid samples) (298) 20

21 Table 16: The reason for NOT considering pursuing further development in the Mainland in the next five years Fear of security / personal safety 26.8 Fear of food safety / hygiene 18.8 Unfamiliar with the environment 14.4 More opportunities in Hong Kong than in the Mainland 13.3 Do not want to separate from families / friends 12.1 Worry about communication skills in Mandarin 5.2 Others 3.8 Don t know/hard to say 5.6 (Valid samples) (684) Table 17: The measures that Government or organisers can do to attract students to consider pursuing further development in the Mainland in the next five years To strengthen the support to Hong Kong People in the Mainland 32.7 Increase subsidy / loan 22.6 Increase platforms on enrollment / recruitment / placement in Hong Kong by related organisations 21.9 Increase publicity and promotional activities 7.3 Others 2.2 Don t know/hard to say 13.4 (Valid samples) (982) 21