Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Annual Trade Fair Company Programme 2008/09 - Junior Achievement Hong Kong

13 December 2008 (Saturday)

Opening Ceremony of the Annual Trade Fair

Company Programme 2008/09 - Junior Achievement Hong Kong

Opening Address by Mr Michael M Y Suen, GBS, JP

Secretary for Education

Mr Cheng, Mr Cunningham, Distinguished Guests and our young entrepreneurs,

Good morning.

Nothing thrills me more than spending a fine Saturday morning with some bright young faces.  This is my second year to participate in this Company Programme Trade Fair organised by the Junior Achievement Hong Kong.

At the same event last December, I met a group of young students at where you are now.  They all wore a big smile on their faces and spoke with confidence and showed great enthusiasm and creativity in setting up their own business here.  See a repeat of all these again today.

The Company Programme is one of the most well received annual school events in Hong Kong.  Participating students have to set up their own companies, design their own creative products, and to do real business.  They get a taste of being CEOs, directors and marketing executives.  In the process, they also learn how to communicate, perform and develop outside the school enrironment.  They acquire precious experience to analyse problems from different perspectives and form their own viewpoints and make judgment.

All you young entrepreneurs gathering here today, I trust that what you have gone through under this Trade Fair Company Programme, helps to sharpen your analytical skills, acquire new knowledge in business literacy, and enhance your confidence in public speaking.

You wouldn’t have been here without the dedicated efforts of HSBC, all the participating partners and business advisers.  My gratitude goes to all our business volunteers for taking our students out of the classroom, into the business world.  I appeal to your continual support to our efforts in offering a diversified learning environment to our eager young minds. 

To all our young entrepreneurs, I wish you every happiness and success in your future endeavours, this of course, includes your businesses this afternoon.

See you at your booths.  Thank you.