Think-tanks call for more support for entrepreneurs
Think-tanks are urging Hong Kong and mainland authorities to provide more training and job placements to young people from the SAR who start businesses in Guangzhou.  The move comes after a research team from the Hong Kong Coalition and the Our Hong Kong Foundation visited two entrepreneurial bases in the Nansha and Tianhe districts of Guangzhou in September. They were set up to support young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Macau.  Kynita Wong is the foundation's assistant researcher, who travelled to Guangzhou with the team. Speaking on RTHK's Hong Kong Today programme, she said one of the challenges was that the centres were offering services that were too similar. "From our visit to entrepreneur bases we observed there's a tendency towards homogeneity. And because the services offered are pretty similar, the convergence of the bases make it difficult for the young entrepreneurs to choose suitable incubation centres," she said.  "And also because the entrepreneur bases are relying on the rental and service fees so they provide more of a basic service but not much of an investment function." Wong said these challenges hindered the ability of the entrepreneurs to fully capitalise on the opportunities available in Guangzhou, which was why they are asking for more support from authorities on both sides of the border. "The first one that we recommend to provide is the short-term employment skills training in related industries to help youth acquire the relevant skills and experience," she said. "We are trying to propose the use of the 'employment first, entrepreneurship later' model. Wong said during their training, the young entrepreneurs would gain a better understanding of society on the mainland and this would help them to create networks.