The information contained in this paper is extracted from the Graduate Employment Survey of 1996 to answer the following questions about Animal & Plant Biotechnology majors : -
Altogether 55 persons graduated from the University with a B.Sc. degree in Animal & Plant Biotechnology. Among them, 42 (76%) responded to the survey. Most (74% or 31) of the Animal & Plant Biotechnology graduates were in full-time employment within six months of graduation. Another 24% (or 10 graduates) went on for further studies. No one was unemployed. (Table 1)
| Animal & Plant Biotechnology | HKU Overall * | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Male | Female | ||||||||||||||
| '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | |||||||||
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| No. of respondents | 42 | 100 | 21 | 100 | 24 | 100 | 16 | 100 | 18 | 100 | 5 | 100 | 2139 | 100 | 2068 | 100 |
| F/T employed | 31 | 73.8 | 12 | 57.1 | 19 | 79.2 | 9 | 56.3 | 12 | 66.7 | 3 | 60.0 | 1743 | 81.5 | 1726 | 83.5 |
| P/T employed seeking F/T job | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1.6 | 18 | 0.9 |
| Unemployed seeking F/T job | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1.6 | 36 | 1.7 |
| Further studies | 10 | 23.8 | 9 | 42.9 | 4 | 16.7 | 7 | 43.8 | 6 | 33.3 | 2 | 40 | 314 | 14.7 | 281 | 13.6 |
| Emigration/home country | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.28 | 1 | 0.1 |
| Not seeking F/T job | 1 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.4 | 6 | 0.3 |
* HKU overall refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
50% (or 5 graduates) took up postgraduate studies in the same discipline as their first degree. All of them (or 10 graduates) studied in local tertiary institutions. Table 2 shows the academic programmes Animal & Plant Biotechnology graduates were engaged in and Table 3 shows the source of finance for further studies.
| Field of Study | Academic programme | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Phil. | Postgraduate Certificate | Advance Diploma/Diploma | |
| Science | 7 | 1 | |
| Education | 1 | ||
| Others | 1 | ||
| Source of Finance | No. of Graduates |
|---|---|
| Own Fund | 2 |
| Teaching Assistantship/Studentship | 7 |
| Government Grant & Loan | 1 |
Among those graduates who were in full-time employment, 72% (21 graduates) secured their first job offer before the end of September. Figure 1 shows the time taken by Animal & Plant Biotechnology graduates to secure employment. In general, the 1996 graduates were faster in securing employment than their 1995 predecessors.
No Response = 2
Figure 1. Time taken to secure employment
87% (or 26) of the Animal & Plant Biotechnology graduates were employed in commerce and industry, followed by education (2 graduates or 6.7%). 3.3% (or 1 graduate) each joined the civil service and community, social & personal services. Figure 3 shows the employment sectors by sex.
No Response = 1
Figure 2. Employment sectors
Figure 3. Employment sectors by sex
Table 4 shows the basic salary & gross income that 1996 Animal & Plant Biotechnology graduates received.
| Basic Salary | Gross Income | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal & Plant Biotechnology | HKU Average * | Animal & Plant Biotechnology | HKU Average * | |||||
| '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | '96 | '95 | |
| Mean | $9,963 | $10,455 | $14,457 | $14,204 | $12,332 | $12,779 | $15,902 | $15,662 |
| Median | $9,000 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $11,700 | $12,500 | $13,542 | $13,230 |
| Minimum | $4,000 | $8,000 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $9,000 | $9,750 | $5,500 | $3,792 |
| Maximum | $27,700 | $14,500 | $55,000 | $60,000 | $28,400 | $18,833 | $60,000 | $60,000 |
* HKU average refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graudates.
48% (or 15) of the graduates in full-time employment had two or more job offers. 26% reported having three to five job offers. (Figure 4).
Figure 4. No. of full-time job offers
The job titles of the 31 graduates who took up full-time employment and the names of their employers are listed below.
| Employers : | Job Titles : |
|---|---|
| CIVIL SERVICE - | |
| * Customs & Excise Department | * Inspector |
| EDUCATION - | |
| * HKWMA CU Shek Lun Prevocational School | * Supply Teacher |
| * The Chinese University of Hong Kong | * Graduate Assistant |
| COMMUNITY, SOCIAL & PERSONAL SERVICES - | |
| * Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology Ltd | * Research Assistant |
| COMMERCE & INDUSTRY - | |
| * Amersham (Far East) Trading Ltd | * Marketing Assistant |
| * AMOY | * Research Technician |
| * Bio-Asia Diagnostics Co Ltd | * Sales Executive |
| * Biomerieux-Vitek Hong Kong | * Sales Representative |
| * Capital China Group | * Business Co-ordinator |
| * Dun & Bradstreet (HK) Ltd | * Risk Management Advisor |
| * Glaxo Wellcome HK Ltd | * Medical Representative |
| * Health Care Product Co Ltd | * Sales Executive |
| * JOS Technology Group | * Account Executive |
| * Lepo Toys Ltd | * Merchandiser |
| * Medical Technology Ltd | * Product Specialist |
| * Nibco Pacific (Fluid Controls) Co Ltd | * Sales Co-ordinator |
| * Paul Hartmann Asia Pacific Ltd | * Sales Representative |
| * Pop Art Production Co | * Editor of Magazine |
| * Siu-Fung Ceramics Holdings Ltd | * Sales Representative |
| * Star TV Corporation | * Technical Officer |
| * Subaru Electronic HK Ltd | * Trading Executive |
| * Union Box & Paper Press Ltd | * Marketing Executive |
| * Waly Interior Products Ltd | * Show Room Representative |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * Sales Assistant |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * Business Promotion Officer |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * Sales |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * China Marketing Executive |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * Sales Executive |
| * Organisation’s name not reported | * Assistant Merchandiser |
No Response = 1
Table 5. List of employers and job titles
Note :Some alumni have indicated willingness to talk to individual students about their work. Their contact telephone number can be obtained from counsellors at CEPC.
Telephone : 2859 2314
Fax : (852) 2559 5238
E-Mail : CEPC@HKUCC.HKU.HK
Opening Hours :
Monday - Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Margaret Lee
Nelson Yip
September, 1997
No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by whatever means,
without written permission from the Director of the Careers Education and Placement Centre,
The University of Hong Kong