More than 100 university students from the Macao Special Administrative Region have started internships on Hengqin Island of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in Guangdong province after a launch ceremony was held earlier this week.

A total of 41 local government departments, State-owned companies, joint ventures, organizations and private enterprises have offered internships to Macao students this year, covering financial services, law, high-tech, traditional Chinese medicine, culture, innovation, tourism and related industries, said Li Weihui, deputy Party chief of Hengqin New Area.

Li said the Summer Internship Program for University Students from Macao Special Administrative Region aims to build and create a platform for cooperation and exchange of young talent between Guangdong and Macao.

"Meanwhile, the program helps Macao students better understand their motherland and encourages them to actively participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and further integrate into the country's overall development," Li said at the launch ceremony on Monday.

In addition to working in local government departments and companies, these students will also visit local major companies and attend special discussions and exchanges during their four-week internship.

Willis Suo, a law student from the University of Macao, said he has learned a lot from the internship that he could not learn from textbooks.

It is the second time he has participated in the internship program.

Last year, he learned how to draft and review financial and leasing contracts while working in a local financial service company, he said.

Meanwhile, he learned how to communicate with colleagues and deal with relationships, he said.

And Saint Ke, a postgraduate student from Macao University of Science and Technology, said the program is a good platform to put into practice what students have learned in class.

"The company allowed us to shoot outdoors on the second day of our internship," said the movie management major.

"There are relatively few internship opportunities in Macao," he said.

The program is sponsored by the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area.

Launched in 2018, the program is particularly welcomed by the students from Macao, according to Li.

"Organizers once received more than 3,000 applications from Macao students for the internship positions," Li said.

The interns have not only enhanced understanding of the cooperation between Guangdong and Macao and the development of Hengqin Island, but also have accumulated social work experience and have realized self-improvement through the monthlong internships in the previous two years, Li said.

Many interns have been invited by their employers to extend their internships and were offered employment opportunities due to their performances, added Li.

Wang Yuexia contributed to this story.