From the Classroom to the Workplace: HKGCC Brings Career Readiness to Life
From 27 to 30 July, the HKGCC Youth Summer Career Programme 2026 brought together 18 participants for four intensive days of hands-on workplace experience, professional-development training and engaging with business leaders.
For the young attendees, it was a structured opportunity to develop, receive feedback and apply the human skills that graduates increasingly need as they prepare to enter the workplace.
On the agenda were future thinking, personal branding and professional presence, self-awareness and teamwork, as well as pitching and presentation. The sessions, led by Hong Kong-based founders and business leaders Wendy Siu, Anna Or, Helen Or and Donald B Ma, encouraged participants to put theory into practise beyond the classroom. Direct interaction with experienced leaders formed another key part of the journey. Through the Power Lunch-Junior series, Patrick Yeung, CEO of HKGCC; Michelle Leung, Global Digital & Commerce leader; Andrew Lee, Partner, Greater China Markets at EY; and Helen Chan, General Manager, Community Development Department at the Urban Renewal Authority, shared candid perspectives on leadership, personal branding, career pivots, adaptability and the changing expectations of the workplace.
The informal format also gave participants the opportunity to introduce themselves, ask questions and engage directly with senior professionals — making professional communication and networking part of the learning experience itself.
The programme then put those skills to the test. Each participant delivered a filmed two-minute professional self-introduction, assessed by Zoe Chan, Director of Communications at HKGCC, and received direct feedback on their performance, transforming lessons on personal branding, professional presence and first impressions into practical experience.
Through a visit to Cathay City, participants continued to gain first-hand exposure to a global business environment and observed how people, operations and professional standards come together in practice.
At the Career Launch Group Showcase, six teams channelled their new-found skills through presentations, role plays and creative performances to demonstrate how the skills developed over the four days could be applied in real situations. The showcase was judged by HKGCC’s Cecilia Leung, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Trade Certification (Academy & Digital Transformation), and Hilaree So, Director of Employee Experience, Workplace & Event Operations.
By connecting young talent with business leaders, professional environments and practical challenges at an early stage, HKGCC continues to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and career readiness.
