EDUCATION | Summer internship program in full operation

Summer time is a popular internship season among college students – who get the chance to put their theories into practice – and this summer, local students are able to work for local employers as well as in Hunan province’s Changsha city.
The summer internship scheme is organized by the Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES) and co-organized by the Macao Chamber of Commerce. Supporting local enterprises provided 60 of the intern positions and the Hunan Youth Federation provided 20 positions for Macau students. A sharing session was held yesterday for the first batch of interns to convey their experiences to the second group, which is set to start working in August.
“The Hunan Youth Federation arranged positions according to our majors. I learned a lot in the department,” expressed Wong, who completed the internship in an investment bank in Hunan province. Being a local student studying her bachelor degree in Hong Kong, Wong observed different operations between mainland banks and banks in Macau. “Through attending daily conferences, meeting customers, and doing reports analysis, I now have a better understanding about the operations that occur within an investment bank. Meanwhile, the internship program also informed me that most of the knowledge we learned from books cannot be applied to the actual working environment.”
Some students studying in the mainland said that they aim to return to Macau after graduation, therefore the program could be a good opportunity for them to get in touch with local employers.
Studying Exhibition Economy and Management in Shanghai, Lee had her internship at a local exhibition company in Macau this month. “Study in the mainland, much of my knowledge is based on the circumstances of Shanghai, which could be quite different compared to that in Macau.” Lee said, stating that she plans to work in Macau after graduation and, “thus this program enabled me to learn about the development of the exhibition industry as well as how to establish my personal connections in Macau. In school, I studied related theories but did not go into great depth with them. With the practice, I found that most of the things from school could be applied to work,” she said.
Fung, a master degree student in labor relations, had his internship in a construction company in Macau. He is now studying in a university in Beijing. “The labor laws in mainland are different from the ones in Macau. What I learned in the program is exactly what I lacked during my study in school,” he stated. He deems that the program could work as a platform for matching students and employers.
Antonio Trindade, president and chief executive officer of CESL Asia, said that, “This program gives us the opportunity to show young talent that we might be a very good option for them. (…)  So often we hear people saying that that’s not easy for Macau talents to find an opportunity for a professional career. We’ve been very happy to prove otherwise, as local people can actually gain an advantage.” He also called on students to look for working opportunities in Macau after graduation.
The internship scheme is open for Macau residents in their third year or above, or master’s programs at home or abroad. The first batch of students practiced from July 7 to August 1, who are to be followed by the second group who begin Aug 4. The internship in Hunan province lasts for about one month, starting from June 18. 57 candidates joined the summer program this year, according to GAES.