“Experiencing China’s rapid industrial growth, paired with its rich cultural heritage – these aspects add a unique dimension that few summer programmes can match.”

The summer school is a condensed version of the teaching curriculum of the College’s Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub (EEH), says Dr Joe Lo, Assistant Professor at EEH. The EEH offers courses for the minor in entrepreneurship that is part of all undergraduate programmes at the College. These courses are designed to enhance students’ spirit of innovation, entrepreneurial abilities, and competitiveness for further higher education.

The summer school programme guides students to tackle industry problems via technological methods and innovation, Dr Lo says, centred on three words: exploration, innovation, and transformation.

2. Exploration

One group of students in the summer school explored how to design a software application to provide Malaysians with improved access to services for caring for elderly people.

Dan Huang, a postgraduate student in educational psychology at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, was part of the group.

Huang says it’s difficult for many young Malaysians to juggle work responsibilities with caring for elderly family members; nonetheless, these young people are keenly concerned about their loved ones’ needs.

“Our business pitch aims to bridge the gap,” Huang says.

The percentage of citizens aged 65 and above in Malaysia is increasing. Huang says that to meet increasing demands for older adults’ care needs, the Malaysian government is emphasising use of technology, such as telehealth services.

The students’ pitch takes this into account.

“We plan to create a telehealth service making care for elderly people more accessible, so we have designed a customised software application for the Malaysian market,” Huang says.