Tertiary education students have a lack of understanding of the policies about the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, with a “stereotypical impression”, according to the findings of a recent survey, which points out that over half of the respondents, however, expressed their willingness to develop their careers there.
The survey was conducted in Chinese between August and November by the Macau Jiangmen Youths Association (MJMY), in conjunction with the Macau Social Security Society, aiming to find out the students’ level of knowledge of Hengqin, its industrial development policies and measures, as well as willingness to develop their careers there.
A total of 524 valid questionnaires were collected during the survey, whose findings were released yesterday. The findings also include the outcome of interviews with a government official, a former member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), an academic, a community leader, and a former member of the Legislative Assembly (AL).
The respondents’ ages ranged from 18 to 45, 383 of them local residents. Well over 90 percent of them had visited Hengqin, mainly for entertainment or visiting friends and relatives.
According to the findings, more than half of the respondents’ understanding of the in-depth cooperation zone is limited to subjects such as accommodation, transportation, culture and tourism, yet only 35 percent indicated that they were aware of the policies and measures and the local government’s plan to develop four key industries on the adjacent island – sci-tech research and high-end manufacturing; big health; and cultural tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and modern finance.
The findings show, a statement released along with the survey results said, “a lack of understanding of the policies” vis-à-vis Hengqin among the respondents, as well as their “stereotypical impression” of Hengqin’s development, such as Hengqin still lacking resources and its industries not yet being well developed.
However, the statement did not reveal how many of the respondents have a “stereotypical impression” of Hengqin.
The survey cited the measures implemented by the local government in Hengqin, such as vocational training and education targeting the four key industries in Hengqin, as well as internship programmes for local youths in Hengqin. Among the measures listed, while the majority of the respondents (235) indicated that they knew about the development direction of the four key industries in Hengqin, only 132 respondents indicated that they were aware of the vocational training and education available for Macau residents there.
The findings noted that 447 respondents, or 85.3 percent, have expressed their intention to join internships and exchange programmes in Hengqin, mostly involving the modern finance industry, with 293 respondents, or 65.5 percent, followed by the segment comprising cultural tourism, conventions and exhibitions, with 289 respondents, or 64.6 percent. In terms of the career development in Hengqin, 368 respondents, or 70.2 percent, indicated their desire to work there, with half of them saying that they were willing to start their own business there.
The findings point out that the factors affecting the respondents’ development expectations in Hengqin include the level of residential property prices, salaries and economic prospects, as well as the price factor in general.
The findings quoted the five “elite” respondents as saying that local tertiary education students should take advantage of the availability of internships to learn more about Hengqin enterprises, while also urging the government to promote the training of talents and strengthen cooperation with industry, academia and research institutes.
This file photo taken on November 26 last year shows the entrance to the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. – Photo: Xinhua
