Two Nepalese women were among the first batch of students to complete a power engineering training and education program organized by a Hong Kong power company.
The CLP Power Academy of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited held its program graduation ceremony on Monday in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui. There, 40 students celebrated completing their educational programs, and 40 students were welcomed into two newly-launched programs, Hong Kong Commercial Daily reported.
One of the graduates, a Nepalese student named Surakchhya, moved to Hong Kong five years ago. Even though she had completed a hotel management course in Nepal, in Hong Kong she could only find work as a waitress.
In search of a better job and with the encouragement of her father, Surakchhya enrolled in the Professional Diploma in Power Engineering, a part-time course offered by the academy and the Vocational Training Council (VTC).
Another Nepalese student, Ajita, completed a two-year course to gain her Certificate for Junior Electricians.
Both women have big dreams. They plan to continue their studies and hope that one day they might take their places in Hong Kong’s male-dominated power engineering industry.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said at the ceremony that the demand for power engineering talent in Hong Kong will certainly surge as the government has invested in various major infrastructural and public facilities projects.
William Mocatta, chairman of CLP Power, commented that the academy has established a learning ladder enabling young people to pursue a career in engineering, regardless of their academic backgrounds.
Two part-time programs organized by the academy are the Professional Diploma in Power Engineering and Certificate for Junior Electricians for secondary school graduates and secondary three graduates.
Newly-launched courses are the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical Engineering and a Diploma in Power Engineering.