The Chief Secretary said on Saturday that the second phase of the Strive and Rise Programme, a scheme targeting underprivileged secondary school students, will launch in November.

Eric Chan introduced the one-year-pilot scheme last year.

Under the programme, almost 2,800 students living in subdivided units were paired with mentors from various sectors to learn different skills, such as financing and life planning.

Chan said they are hoping to see even more students join this year than they did in the first phase, in which they may also consider students living in public housing as well. He said they already have a lot of mentors lined up.

"In terms of money, the students have start-up funds and scholarships. We will give each student $10,000, and we have enough money to cover the $28 million in total. From generous donations, we have received $140 million from the community," he said.

Chan said that authorities will continue to provide workshops and internships for students from the first phase, which will hopefully lead to employment opportunities. He also said that 120 companies will offer internship opportunities for graduating students.

He said, "We want them to experience the work environment even if it is just for a week or two. We want them to immerse in a field that they like. We will, of course, subsidise their means of transportation to their internship."

He also noted that graduating students would automatically be a part of their alumni association, where he hopes that they will eventually become mentors as well.