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Tuesday, February 07, 2023, 13:25
Pitch for a niche career
By Li Bingcun
Tuesday, February 07, 2023, 13:25 By Li Bingcun

SHENZHEN – In Hong Kong, a heaven of imported goods, there is a small dairy farm that aims to offer locally-produced milk, ice cream, cheese and other dairy products. Surrounded by the mountains and villages of the New Territories, rows of cows roam and eat in the sheds under the care of a group of youth dressed in navy-blue uniforms.

The scene – similar to the popular British drama All Creatures Great and Small that depicts a vet’s life in the English countryside – is a rare sight in the international metropolis. The farm stands to offer a promising direction for Hong Kong to cultivate more local specialists amid a global hunt for talent, and signals a way for the city’s youngsters to forge a unique way in an unfavorable employment environment. 

The venue is the teaching farm of the City University of Hong Kong, the city’s lone university offering veterinary courses. Launched in 2017, the six-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) program will have its first group of graduates this year. After graduation, the students can practice in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and various overseas regions such as Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

The farm aims to allow the students to gain hands-on experience and learn animal husbandry and farm management skills. Opened in November last year, it imported 24 cows from Australia and is expected to produce 500 liters of milk per day and other dairy products to CityU staff and students in February.

Just as medical students need hospital internships, veterinary students also need opportunities to better know about their animal patients. With modern technologies, they can observe the behaviors of the cows, do body checks for them, treat their diseases, and operate related facilities in the farm.

The setting of the program is a response to the city’s rising demand for professional veterinarians. A study by Hong Kong’s Veterinary Surgeons Board found quite favorable employment prospects for veterinarians, with the number of pet owners and animal clinics in Hong Kong increasing, and the relaxation of pet-keeping conditions in housing estates in recent years.

According to the board, the average salary for a fledgling veterinarian in Hong Kong is about HK$30,000. The number can go up to HK$100,000 for those with work experience of over three years.

Previously, most local students seeking to be a vet had to study aboard – in Australia or the United Kingdom – to learn the courses. This program offers them more convenient choices. But the competition is fierce. In the first year of the CityU program’s launching, about 40 to 60 students competed for a place in the major.

In recent years, more and more Hong Kong universities launched new programs to cater to emerging social development needs – such as the Master of Science in Metaverse Technology and Master of Science in Sustainable Technology for Carbon Neutrality offered by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Cultural and Creative Industries of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Master of Creative Writing for Cultural Professionals of the Hong Kong Baptist University. Some niche majors that were only available in overseas schools also have a presence in the city.

Within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the University of Macau added a Master of Science in Coastal Environment and Safety, and the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou a master's degree in documentation and cultural heritage protection. Nationwide, over 30 new majors were added to undergraduate curricula annually in recent years.

Most of the newly-launched programs don’t have graduates yet and their career prospects have yet to be tested by the market. But the potential is certainly huge as it’s in line with local development strategies and practical needs.

The update of university majors is a key indicator of social development directions. It’s hoped that higher education institutions in the Bay Area can grasp the pulse of the time and set up more majors serving the city, the region, and the nation’s development needs.

Their new branches in nearby cities or cooperative programs with other GBA counterparts can serve as a pilot for the new majors. These characteristic majors of GBA universities also need greater publicity for students to clearly understand their advantages and risks.

Although the job market has yet to be fully recovered for youngsters living in the post-pandemic era, many industries have been reshaped and fresh opportunities are hidden in the changing landscape. Riding the emerging tide and finding a niche sector may lead to greater rewards in this time of change.

Li Bingcun began her career in journalism in 2016 as a sub-editor for the online section of China Daily Hong Kong. She now works as a reporter covering political and metro news, and is curious about life and people in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. She can be reached at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com.

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