The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin island in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, will soon launch its summer internship program for university students from the Macao Special Administrative Region.

The program provides about 185 internship positions to university students from Macao. Students who want to participate can register online starting on Friday, according to a statement released by the the zone's Livelihood Affairs Bureau on Wednesday. The internship program will officially start in May, it said.

The bureau will provide comprehensive internship services and join with enterprises that recruit interns, offering internship living allowances, food, accommodations, insurance and other services, along with paying internship wages, it said.

The internship program aims to encourage and support Macao youth to participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, better understand the country and integrate into the overall development of their motherland, it said.

During the internship, colorful exchange events will be organized, including visiting patriotic education bases and well-known local companies to further enhance Macao students' awareness and understanding of the country's political, social and economic development and to enhance their sense of identification and belonging to the motherland, the statement said.

The units that receive interns — including government departments, State-owned companies, joint ventures, organizations and private enterprises — have offered internships to Macao students this year. They include financial services, law, high-tech, traditional Chinese medicine, culture, innovation, tourism and related industries.

In addition to Hengqin, internship destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other major cities on the mainland, it added.

Launched in 2018, the program has been welcomed by students from Macao. Located at the mouth of the Pearl River, Hengqin island, which borders Macao, is also one of the three pilot free trade zones in Guangdong province.