The Chamber's Business-School Partnership Programme celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Due to the pandemic, we couldn't hold our usual Closing Party, but we did mark the end of this year's programme with an Online Career Sharing Session and Closing Event on 9 July.
Since 2001, the BSP Programme has connected Chamber member companies with high schools in the city. It aims to foster communication and exchange among secondary students, teachers and businesses, while allowing students to gain more understanding of the commercial world.
The event started with six members from the Chamber's Young Executives Club sharing their work experience and advice on career and studies with students watching online. This introduction helped the teenagers better understand a number of professions including accounting, corporate communications and data analysis.
During the Closing Event, Chamber CEO George Leung thanked the participating member companies for the time and effort they devoted to the programme, which has such a positive impact on preparing the younger generation for their career development. He also thanked all the principals and teachers involved for their tireless work, and for encouraging their students to participate in the programme.
Despite the Covid restrictions, the BSP Programme was still able to organize a range of online and physical events involving 70 pairs of companies and secondary schools throughout the academic year. These included company visits, talks, job shadowing, online workshops and training.
Students were encouraged to write a report after the activities to reflect on what they had learnt: this year, four submissions were selected as Outstanding Students' Reports. The Closing Event wrapped up with presentation from three groups of students about their experience and what they had learned from the various activities.
Insight into Overseas Study
An education expert and a Hong Kong student who is heading to university in the U.S. introduce the overseas opportunities at a BSP webinar
Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience. Besides an academic adventure, students who venture away from home for university will also be able to get a taste of a different culture and pursue personal growth.
But with so many options available it can be difficult for parents and students to make the best choice. To help students in the Chamber's Business-School Partnership Programme to understand more about the overseas choices, we invited speakers from Crimson Education Hong Kong to share some advice on studying abroad.
Brenda Hung, Senior Strategist at Crimson Education, first gave an overview of the main differences between universities in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States, including structure of curriculum, career prospects, application procedures and assessment criteria. She said that, generally speaking, British universities value intellectual curiosity, intelligence and creativity, while U.S. universities are looking for students who can demonstrate leadership and engagement.
She reminded students that academic requirements act as a threshold for application to U.K. universities, and if your grades don't hit the mark your application will be automatically rejected. Beyond academic achievements, students have the opportunity to stand out and show their personality through the personal statement and interview.
Yik Siu Chan, a former Crimson student who will be studying in Wellesley College in the U.S., shared her journey preparing for overseas university application. Chan was accepted by other top institutions including New York University, London School of Economics and the University of Hong Kong – so why did she choose Wellesley?
She explained that she felt the liberal arts education in the U.S. would equip her with a broader spectrum of knowledge and skills, and open more career possibilities after graduation. Chan recommended students start to plan their university studies sooner rather than later, to give them sufficient time to build a strong profile to impress their dream school. She also suggested that students interested in studying overseas should take part in extra-curricular activities that provide international exposure and cultivate cultural awareness.
Impact of an Interrupted Education
School closures could affect the future earnings of students, particularly those from lower-income families, according to a recent report. At a BSP webinar, researchers from MWYO introduced the survey results to students and members
With face-to-face classes and other school activities suspended intermittently for more than a year, Hong Kong's children and teenagers have experienced huge disruption to their learning.
Even though students have been able to study virtually at home, it is quite a different learning experience compared to traditional classroom teaching. According to a report by MWYO, a think tank that focuses on youth issues in Hong Kong, the loss of schooling is also likely to affect a student's future income prospects.
To help members and students understand this issue, the Chamber invited David Lai, Senior Researcher, and Justin Chan, Researcher, from MWYO to share their findings and policy recommendations from their report "The Potential Impacts of Covid-19 School Closures on Loss of Earnings" at a webinar on 12 July.
Adopting a methodology used by the World Bank, MWYO estimated that the total loss of lifetime earnings for Hong Kong due to school closures under the pandemic is HK$270.3 billion – which works out at HK$329,000 for each student. However, some will probably be harder hit than others.
School closures may also widen the educational disparities between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, which could possibly exacerbate the wealth gap in the long run. It is expected that a student from a higher-income family will lose roughly HK$207,000 in lifetime earnings, while a student from a lower-income family about HK$426,000.
"The living environment may affect students' home learning," explained Chan. Without stable internet access and comfortable learning space at home, students are not able to concentrate and learn effectively. Underprivileged families may not even be able to afford a computer for the children, making these students more likely to fall behind those from higher-income families in virtual classes.
Based on the estimations, Lai suggested some policy responses and directions that could mitigate the negative impacts of school suspensions.
First of all, tutorial vouchers could be issued to lower-income families to help them to catch up. Wealthier families already use private tuition to enhance their children's learning, but this option is prohibitively expensive for the less well-off.
There are already other Government subsidy schemes targeting underprivileged families, such as the Subsidy Scheme for Internet Access Charges and Community Care Fund. Schools should make sure families are aware of these subsidies, to help them access online learning.
Secondly, if further school closures are needed in the future, MWYO suggested that the Government should make efforts to maintain public services related to education. For example, online reservation and drop-off/pick-up services of library materials could continue to function, even if public libraries are closed to visitors.
Internship opportunities and exposure to the business environment for secondary school students may also help compensate for the impact of school closures on their future prospects. This is supported by another study conducted by MWYO, which found that an effective internship programme can enhance students' soft skills, help them better plan their career, and facilitate their entry into the labour market after graduation.
Last but not least, Lai stressed that emotional well-being of students should not be neglected. Parents and teachers should not push students too hard to make up for the lost ground. The Government, schools, school social workers and parents must all play their part and work together to effectively resolve the long-term impacts on students caused by school suspension.