As the world reckons with the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), Hong Kong’s government agencies are pushing through in hopes to sustain economic momentum and create jobs among the youth in innovative ways.
For example, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) recently announced that it will hold a Virtual Career Expo. It will be the first and largest online career fair ever staged in the city’s innovation and technology sector. The event will be held from 25 March to 21 April 2020.
More than 1,000 jobs will be on offer at the Virtual Career Expo, with 150 participating technology companies, spanning across four major technology fields of Biomedical Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Smart City and Fintech.
These companies include Hong Kong Science Park companies, current incubatees and graduates from HKSTP’s incubation programmes, SMEs and multinationals.
As of 12 March 2020, of the jobs available at the Fair, the majority are in areas of technology and R&D, such as Information and Communication Technology, Engineering and Biomedical Science.
About one-third of those roles are looking for fresh college graduates, while the majority are for entry-to-mid-level positions. Also, around 20% of the positions are open for post-graduates or those with doctoral degrees and above.
The CEO of HKSTP stated that with the Government’s ongoing support in driving I&T, HKSTP strives to strengthen Hong Kong’s innovation ecosystem by building one of the richest and most diverse I&T talent pools in the city.
By leveraging technology, the Park hopes that its Virtual Career Expo will provide a new, dynamic talent solution to HKSTP partners, incubatees and alumni, and in particular, breaking free of all the limitations of traditional hiring events.
The Hong Kong Science Park Virtual Career Expo presents an exceptional opportunity for start-ups and employers to attract top-notch talent locally and around the world.
The platform allows them to host virtual exhibition booths that list career-related information. There will be on-demand live chat tools, webinars and webcasts, allowing employers to easily converse with potential hires. Additionally, the platform also supports presentations, resume uploads and search, and other resources in the form of videos and documents in a completely immersive virtual environment.
The Hong Kong Science Park Virtual Career Expo 2020
Access to the Hong Kong Science Park Virtual Career Expo is free and open to all local and overseas talent.
Date: 25 March 2020 to 21 April 2020
The updated figures (as of 12 March 2020) state that 150 technology companies that have offered jobs at the event, 700 local and overseas talent that have registered for the event, there are over 1000 jobs up for grabs, 85% of the jobs are in areas of technology and R&D, 30% of the jobs are for fresh graduates, 52% are entry-level jobs and, 17% of the jobs are middle-level positions.
Online expos
In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, several events across the world are taking to virtual landscapes.
For example, a Taiwanese consumer electronics company is hosting the first virtual industry conference. The firm’s Vive Ecosystem Conference (VEC) will be held entirely in virtual reality this year.
Restyled as the Virtual Vive Ecosystem Conference (V2EC), the event will be going ahead on 19 March 2020 and will be taking place within the virtual reality training platform developed by Immersive VR Education.
Attendees will be tuning in remotely, either via VR headset or by viewing a live stream on a monitor.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances behind the change in venue, the China President at the firm has been quick to point out the unique benefits of the new arrangement, including the possible removal of attendance limits on keynote talks and the option for attendees to replay sessions they miss live.
This practical demonstration of the usefulness of the Vive technology in helping to maintain global communication, especially at a time when physical travel is unusually difficult, may well end up paving the way for other industry events to be moved to virtual reality in the future.
