12
SPOTLIGHT
Oct 2012
UMP
ɽኪᄿఙ
I
t was a Friday afternoon in March 2012. I was walking
back to my hostel after lessons, checking my email
with my phone. A notification popped up and I received
a pleasant surprise from the Civil Service Bureau: I was
selected to participate in the Administrative Service
Summer Internship Programme 2012. I can still vividly
recall how excited I was getting the good news. Without
hesitation, I accepted the offer. Looking back, it was
indeed one of the wisest decisions that I have ever made
in my university life.
The Administrative Service Internship Programme provides
a platform for university students to experience first-hand
the work of administrative officers in the government.
Due to the nature of their work and the regular rotation to
different bureaux, administrative officers in the HKSAR
government are all multi-skilled professionals actively
involved in policy formulation, resource allocation and
implementation of major Government programmes.
Indeed, administrative service interns were scattered in
different bureax and hence involved in work quite unique
to his/ her bureau.
Perhaps having regard to my educational background as
a law student, I was assigned to the Financial Services
and the Treasury Bureau to assist in the drafting of two
pieces of legislation concerning the insurance industry
of Hong Kong. Although I have had my fair share of
internship experiences in law firms in previous summers,
the work that I was exposed to in the government was like
nothing I have experienced before. Indeed, law firms are
seldom involved in the drafting of legislation. During my
stay at the Bureau, I had the rare opportunity to engage in
various stages of the legislative process, from conduction
legal research to attending meetings with representatives
from the Department of Justice. I was even given access
to confidential documents! I was as well extremely
lucky to have a really down-to-earth and friendly Senior
Administrative Officer as my mentor, constantly giving me
feedbacks and advice on my work. Overall, it has been a
fulfilling experience as I was treated as an integral part of
the team, completing challenging tasks along the way of
legal drafting.
Besides work, the internship programme was packed
with various activities, which were again quite meaningful
and interesting. For instance, visits to LegCo, District
Offices, Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug InfoCentre and
the Independent Commission Against Corruption were
arranged, enabling interns to have a better understanding
of various public policies and the respective mechanisms
which make the policies work. Among all, the visit to the
Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs was the most unforgettable one, as we had the
privilege to be received by Jiang Yu (
۴
ຄ
),
the former
spokesperson of the Information Department, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of PRC.
All in all, I highly recommend the Administrative Service
Internship Programme to anybody who wishes to pursue
a career in the Administrative Service in the future. With
challenging work, interesting activities and the fostering
of friendships, the summer programme is an unbeatable
choice to spend your summer in a meaningful way.
Yu Wang Lung, Brian
LLB/Year 3
Internship in the HKSAR government widened the horizons of Brian.
(
The second left from the first row)
Invaluable Experience from the
Administrative Service Summer
Internship Programme