The 12th Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative open for student applications

>> Hitachi champions young regional leaders’ potential

Established by Hitachi, Ltd. in 1996, HYLI is a regional thought-leadership and corporate social responsibility programme which aims to identify Asia’s future leaders.

The initiative offers an opportunity for top students, not just academically, but also active social contributors, in Asia to discuss regional economic and social infrastructure issues with prominent regional opinion leaders from the private, public and academic sectors.

“Over the years, HYLI has brought together many talented student participants and provided an opportunity for them to become more involved in creating the societies they wish to live in. Many are now well-placed in academia, in government and in business, and are having a real impact on their communities thanks in part to their experiences with HYLI,” said Yukio Toyoshima, managing director of Hitachi Asia Ltd. “In 2013, Hitachi is looking forward to welcoming HYLI back to Thailand and hosting a new group of potential leaders.”

From now until December 15, 2012, applications are open for students from the six universities participating in HYLI. They are: Ho Chi Minh University of Technology, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Foreign Trade University Hanoi, Foreign Trade University Ho Chi Minh and Ho Chi Minh University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The theme for the 12th HYLI is “The Road Ahead: ASEAN’s Role in Asia and the Global Economy.” Speakers and panel discussions will be organised around two broad sub-themes: (1) AEC2015: What Can ASEAN Really Expect and Asia’s Significance in the Global Economy and (2) Connectivity: The Driver of ASEAN Competitiveness.

Featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, field trips and workshops, HYLI offers a unique opportunity to learn about some of the most pressing issues facing the region and world today from the people responsible for addressing them. It also provides students a chance to engage with these and other leaders, and to have a forum to present their ideas about important issues to the media.

Shortlisted students will be required to attend an interview with the Vietnam Student Selection Panel in early 2013. The four university students chosen to represent Vietnam will join their counterparts from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Japan.