MPPM students internship with the Legislative Council Members’ Offices of HKSAR
An internship is a critical transition period for students to change their roles and connect with society. This is also a meaningful way to clarify career planning, explore employment paths, and improve professionalism. The Master of Public Policy and Management programme at The Education University of Hong Kong provides students with a wealth of internships, aiming to cultivate students' practical ability, help students understand course knowledge, and enhance their workplace competitiveness to apply what they have learned.
Today, we invited three students who were interns in the Legislative Council Members’ Offices to share their internship work and experience. Let’s hear what they say!
He Jiayi
My internship was as an assistant in the Legislative Council Member of the Hon. CHAN Pui-leung’s office. My work was mainly through 1, Research and analysis of policy, drafting speeches, press releases, and responses to current events. 2, Study HKSAR’s 2023-24 budget, draw up questions and analyze the budget trends in the last five years. 3, Participated in and took minutes of meetings with government and stakeholder groups. 4, Assist the office supervisor in dealing with daily administrative affairs.
The biggest challenge I encountered was drafting speeches and press releases for the Hon. CHAN Pui-Leung because this was the first time I was engaged in writing work. To be better qualified for this task, I did policy research in advance, conceived the content framework and logic, used better words and expressions, and continued to improve my sensitivity and carefulness in the expression of Cantonese in Hong Kong and traditional Chinese characters. My colleagues in the office have a rich professional background, always pay close attention to policies and current affairs, and write carefully and prudently. Their work efficiency and attitude have had a profound impact on me.
In the internship, I was impressed by many gains. I had a broad understanding of many policies in Hong Kong, conducted in-depth studies on some policies, and put forward my opinions. I learned how to study and analyze policies, search and screen many background materials and data, summarize materials and analyze data, and draft policy research reports. It also stimulated my interest in policy research to improve the economy and social welfare through perfecting policies. The improvement of my writing skills and teamwork ability during the work can also be better applied to my future career.
Liang Chuyun
My internship department is the Legislative Council Member of Hon. Chan Pui-leung's Office, located in the Legislative Council Office building. Primarily in charge of formulating and developing policies impacting people's means of livelihood. My primary duties are as follows:
1. Writing and preparing speeches, papers, and submissions linked to public policies, gathering proposal information, and writing speeches and responses.
2. Have a thorough understanding of social issues and governmental regulations, conduct investigation and research on policies.
3. Monitor the motion's development through hearings before the oversight committee and pay attention to the needs of diverse stakeholders.
The Legislative Council may be considered solemn, powerful, and authoritative. After the internship, I found that Legislative Council members possess both rational and wise, warm hearts and humaneness. Councilors should always pay close attention to issues affecting people's livelihoods, voice their ideas and demands on social policies, speak up on behalf of the general public, and support the creation and promotion of policies. This is an efficient way to provide suggestions for policy reform and rapidly respond to public requests. Therefore, legislative council members must also have interpersonal communication skills and emotional awareness to win the general public's trust and respect.
I had the good fortune to work as the Hon Chan Pui-leung of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR’s policy research intern during my master's studies. The content of the internship is very congruent with the knowledge taught in class and accurately represents the learning effect, as evidenced. Through this internship, I could better comprehend the social, economic, spatial, and governance aspects of the current policies in Hong Kong. It has strengthened my understanding of today's multicultural society and developed my critical thinking and inventive ways to respond to situations where conflicting values are at play.
Lu Xiangting
My internship position is the assistant to the Office of Legislative Council Member Ngan Man-yu, and the work is divided into indoor and outdoor. The job in the office is responsible for the local office's clerical work and the residents' essential services. Outdoor work includes handing over posters and communicating with other nearby offices. Speaking in Cantonese was the most significant difficulty I encountered during the internship because language communication barriers are challenging to overcome immediately and require long-term accumulation. Fortunately, after this practice, I have made significant progress in my Cantonese through constant communication with others, corrections, and mutual learning with my colleagues.
This internship experience has helped me a lot. On the one hand, it has enriched my knowledge and allowed me to know the plight and helplessness of vulnerable groups in Hong Kong. As a graduate student aiming to enter a government unit, I can do my job well and serve the people greatly. On the other hand, I also profoundly found some areas for improvement in my work, such as being unable to handle some emergencies flexibly. Therefore, I will also accumulate experience in my future career and study life to serve society better.
