HK Takes Pronged Approach to Talents QuestA major challenge facing Hong Kong in the quest for talents to enhance its competitiveness is how to nurture the further growth of the Admission of Talents Scheme in partnership with the private sector, Timothy Tong, deputy secretary for security of Hong Kong, said Friday.Speaking at a seminar organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, Tong said the scheme, which was launched in mid-December last year to tap talents, in particular mainland talents, for employment in Hong Kong, had now passed its infancy stage. "How to further nurture partnership with the private sector is now the question. Acquiring talents is not an easy task since Hong Kong is not alone in this quest," he said. In this regard, Tong said the government has adopted a three-pronged approach to spur the development of the scheme. Firstly, the government would approach various chambers of commerce and industry organizations to explore further whether joint efforts could be made to help companies source the talents they require in the mainland. Secondly, Tong said, the government would seek assistance from the Computer Society and the Federation of Information Technology because their expertise and experience could help firms draw up plans in identifying suitable information technology talents in the mainland. "Furthermore, we will reach out to small- and medium-size companies. We will consult on their requirements to see how well their needs may be filled through invocation of the scheme," he added. However, he pointed out that the implementation of the scheme is only the first step forward. "In luring talents to come to join Hong Kong corporations, persistence to achieve excellent performance by our firms and their willingness to invest in research and development are crucial to success," he stressed. As at May 20, 2000, a total of 193 applications have been received. Among them, 19 applications have been approved and 102 applications refused or withdrawn. The remaining 72 applications are still being processed because some employers and candidates have not submitted all necessary supporting documents. |
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