An exciting new programme for advanced learning at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) presents an enriched curriculum for highly motivated students determined to play leadership roles in tomorrow’s rapidly changing, hi-tech world. The unique CityU Talents Programme allows brilliant young students to benefit from the University’s highly interdisciplinary, technology-enriched courses that will ensure their success in attaining their career goals and aspirations for further studies.
CityU is once again bringing an internationalised North American model of higher education to Hong Kong, deepening the integration of teaching and research. This Programme provides another invaluable opportunity for top students to engage in specially designed courses and research topics under the mentorship of world-class scholars, according to the University’s President.
A suite of new scholarships has been set up including two new schemes, the President’s Scholarship and the Hong Kong Tech Scholarship, which aims at students with excellent performance in science (including biological science) and engineering. The scholarships will reward academic excellence and potential for research. There will be one award for the President’s Scholarship at HK$300,000 per annum and two for the Hong Kong Tech Scholarship at HK$200,000 per annum each. Both are tenable for four years.
The Programme contains several unique features. It offers training and teaching customised to explicitly match with the eligible students’ capabilities and personalities. Plus, there will be targeted support and mentorship for strategic career planning. Students joining the Programme may study for a double degree in two completely different but complementary disciplines over five years.
An even more intensive learning experience is possible through their bachelor’s and master’s combined degree option, with the undergraduate degree completed in Years 1 to 3, and the master’s, to be undertaken at CityU or overseas, in Year 4 to 5. Those students with the potential to undertake this rigorously advanced option can then apply for doctoral programmes at CityU or at highly rated universities around the world. The overseas study option is another feature that will ensure those accepted onto the Programme receive a university experience that soars beyond expectations.
The University’s joint bachelor’s degree programmes are collaborations with highly-rated institutions such as Columbia University, University of Edinburgh and University of Manchester. The students will be awarded two bachelor’s degrees, one from CityU and the other from the partner university. Other notable options include four-year enrichment programmes for students from the College of Science and the School of Energy and Environment and a double-major programme.
Local students with an overall score of 28 or above in four core and two elective subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), and non-JUPAS students with 2A*+1A in General Certificate of Education Advanced level (GCEAL) or with an overall score of 38 or above in the International Baccalaureate® (IB) programme are eligible for the CityU Talents Programme.
Demand for tech talent rising globally
OpenGov reported earlier that, in March 2021, experts are warning of a looming labour shortage in Hong Kong, especially in the information technology sector, as local talent moves away and fewer foreign specialists arrive. Employers say they are competing for the same small pool, and facing shortages in cutting-edge IT areas of data science, cloud and information security.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought international travel to a standstill, closed borders and resulted in Hong Kong imposing travel bans. A 21-day compulsory hotel quarantine has further affected the arrival of new international talent.
Figures from the Immigration Department for work visas show only 14,617 approvals in 2020, sharply down from 41,289 in 2019. The IT sector saw only 652 new visas, compared to 1,655 in 2019. Work visa extensions dipped from 22,159 in 2019 to 19,323 last year, an indication of foreigners who left the city. Talent from mainland China also recorded a sharp decline.
At the same time, Hongkongers with skills in demand are being lured to other tech hubs, with countries such as Britain and Canada loosening their immigration policies for city residents following Beijing’s imposition of national security law in June 2020.
Thus, the programmes of various educational institutions and governmental agencies in Hong Kong are crucial if the region is to achieve its goal of being a global tech hub.