Talent mecca: Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Professor KC Chan says Hong Kong's success as a finance hub is mainly attributable to the availability of a large pool of financial talent.

Concerted efforts by the Government, universities and industry are needed to nurture financial talent to maintain Hong Kong's competitive edge as an international finance centre, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Professor KC Chan says.

He made the statement in a keynote address at a conference organised by the Advisory Committee on Human Resources Development in the Financial Services Sector and the Chinese University today.

Prof Chan said the city's success as a major world financial centre is mainly attributable to the availability of a big pool of financial talent, noting the Government, universities and the industry have invested heavily in nurturing talent over the years.

"Since the global competition for talent has become more intense than ever, we need a strong commitment from everyone in society to carry forward the mission of nurturing talent in order to sustain Hong Kong's competitiveness," he said.

He said the Government has devoted more than $50 billion a year in education to develop talent and has implemented measures to attract talent from the Mainland and overseas.

The ratio of people with post-secondary education in business and commercial studies has grown from 26% in 1996 to 32% in 2006.

He encouraged more companies to participate in internship programmes for students to acquire practicable industry knowledge and appreciate real-life working requirements. He said he is confident Hong Kong can scale new heights with the collaborative efforts of all.