The College of Engineering and the College of Science at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) organised a major career fair on campus on 30 January. The event attracted participants from about 70 local and international enterprises and organisations, offering nearly 3,000 jobs, including internship opportunities. Also participating were the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) and The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), providing valuable insights into industry advancement, professional skills, assessment systems and salary trends for students who wish to pursue a career in engineering.

Professor Lu Jian, Dean of the College of Engineering at CityUHK, expressed his aspiration to foster more engineering elites by developing stronger collaboration between the academic, industrial and professional sectors.

 

Companies and organisations participating in this year's Career Fair cover 13 sectors, such as FinTech, Artificial Intelligence and EdTech, and include Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, PCCW HKT, and multinationals such as Accenture Company Limited and Siemens Ltd. Many of these companies offer internships to students, providing them with invaluable practical experience before graduation. Prominent industry and professional bodies, such as FHKI, The HKIE, and the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM), also graced the fair with their presence, providing students with market insights related to engineering and related sectors. 

As part of the event, the College of Engineering at CityUHK arranged a career development sharing session, in which industry representatives were invited to enlighten students about the latest trends in the relevant job markets, along with insights into the essential professional skills and knowledge required. The College also arranged guided tours of CityUHK's State Key Laboratory of Terahertz and Millimeter Waves for the participating companies and organisations to showcase CityUHK’s latest groundbreaking research achievements in antenna design and communications technology.

Speaking at the Career Fair’s opening ceremony, Professor Lu emphasised the urgent need for engineering talent. Recognising the College’s role as an engineering talent incubator, he highlighted the great efforts put forth in developing an innovative curriculum. This includes the introduction of a new flagship programme, called the “Pathway for Research, Innovation and Multinational Engineering (PRIME)”, aimed at nurturing innovative engineering professionals. The College aims to instil in its students the 4Is: an International outlook, an Innovative approach, an Interdisciplinary background, and Interpersonal skills, and to prepare students to meet open innovation trends of the engineering industry.

The College has also established internship schemes in partnership with various enterprises. These schemes not only help enterprises identify potential candidates in advance, but also provide students with valuable industry insights and facilitate their career planning.

Ir Dr Barry Lee Chi-hong, The HKIE President, said: “The HKIE is dedicated to promoting the engineering profession and nurturing talents. The scope of the engineering profession is broad, covering building services, information technology, biomedical, fire and nuclear disciplines. The HKIE will continue to work hand in hand with CityUHK and academic stakeholders to promote engineering diversity. We will also encourage the younger generation to leverage the industry’s enormous opportunities to contribute to society and build a better future.”

One of the participating enterprises, Nova Credit Limited, recruited a Korean student from the Department of Computer Science, CityUHK as an intern through the career fair last year. They aim to attract more global-minded CityUHK students to join the company this year.

Kelvin Wong Chi-kuen, a final year student of the Department of Electrical Engineering, attended the fair to gain industry information. He believes that the fair not only provides numerous job opportunities but also allows him to understand more about the situation of his preferred companies, which helps him plan his future career.

On the same day, the Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub, established at CityUHK's College of Engineering with a generous donation from the Bright Future Charitable Foundation, invited representatives from AutoInsight Ltd and HKIHRM to hold a sharing session for secondary school students, teachers and parents. More than 60 secondary school students participated in the event at CityUHK, where they had the opportunity to interview some of the exhibitors at the Career Fair, allowing them to gain valuable knowledge and develop keen interest in engineering subjects while learning about the intricacies of business operations.