HKIAA Holds a Graduation Ceremony for 97 students from the GBA Youth Aviation Industry Internship Programme

On 27 June 2024, the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy (HKIAA) held the Graduation Ceremony for 97 students from the second and third batches of the GBA Youth Aviation Industry Internship Programme (the Programme). Simon Li, President of HKIAA; Vivian Cheung, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK); Liu Chun-San, Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics and senior management from participating airport business partners, were on hand to celebrate the interns’ achievements. 

The Programme is organised by the HKIAA and relevant aviation training colleges from the Mainland, aiming to nurture young talent and build up the talent pool in Hong Kong and the Mainland. The Programme's graduates achieved remarkable results after completing a year of structured classroom learning at HKIAA and internships at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). With over 90% receiving job offers following their internships, the graduates are poised to continue contributing to the local aviation industry by way of the Labour Importation Scheme. 

In addition to presenting graduation certificates to the Programme participants, Mr Li also presented appreciation letters to 14 aviation industry partners for their support in offering valuable hands-on experience to the students during their internships. Mr Li highlighted that the Programme is a triple-win solution, "A group of energetic and passionate young people gaining invaluable practical experience at our partner companies providing additional workforce to help alleviate the manpower shortage in the industry, and essentially supporting HKIA in maintaining its competitiveness as a global aviation hub and the world’s busiest cargo airport. Our students, business partners, and HKIA all benefit as a result.” Mr Li also acknowledged the Transport and Logistics Bureau, AAHK and authorities in the Mainland for their active facilitation and efforts in the execution of the Programme. He said, “The collective support demonstrates our commitment to promoting the sustainable development of the aviation industry in Hong Kong and beyond.” 

Mr. Liu Chun-San, Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics, further added, “With the commissioning of the three-runway system by the end of this year and the progressive completion of various projects under the "Airport City" vision, the capacity and functions of HKIA will be significantly enhanced. The aviation industry of Hong Kong will have unprecedented opportunities and the demand for aviation talents will rise further. In view of the huge demand from passenger and cargo traffic, I very much welcome all students to join the family of HKIA after graduation and contribute to consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international aviation hub.” 

The second and third batches of students from Guangzhou Civil Aviation College and Guangdong Zhaoqing Aviation Vocational College started their internship in July 2023. After an initial one-week orientation, the students’ internship began at passenger handling and aviation security companies. Throughout the internship, students returned to HKIAA once a week for classroom training on topics such as Basic Airport Operations, Customer Services Excellence, Practical Aviation English, and Communication Skills. HKIAA’s seamless arrangements in the Programme extend from student recruitment and securing job placements with business partners to job matching, classroom study, student coaching, and provision of student accommodation. Over 500 students from the Mainland have joined the Programme since its launch in May 2023, and 123 of them have completed their internships. HKIAA aims to offer at least 450 internship positions annually to youth in the GBA.