Hong Kong will take a more proactive role in supporting its young people to develop their careers on the mainland, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the city's chief executive, said on Monday.

The special administrative region's government should not only provide and supervise public services, but also serve as a "facilitator and promoter" to help young people work and live on the mainland, she said.

Lam made the remarks at a seminar in Beijing for young entrepreneurs and students from Hong Kong who are based on the mainland.

Hong Kong has received great support from the central government, she said, adding that she wants to help younger generations in the city better grasp opportunities on the mainland.

Lam said some young people in Hong Kong are forward-looking and proactive in deciding to study or start businesses on the mainland. However, she said some have yet to seize the opportunities.

She was joined at the seminar by Wang Zhimin, the central government's top liaison official in Hong Kong. He said youth development will be a major focus of his office's work. Another focus is to assist Hong Kong's young people to integrate their development into that of the country, he added.

Entrepreneurs and students at the seminar shared their experiences of life on the mainland, and called on their peers to grasp opportunities and seek higher goals.

Wang Wei, founder of China's biggest courier company, SF Express, noted that attitude can make a big difference. "I adopt a positive attitude toward everything," he said.

He urged Hong Kong's young people to take a positive look at the mainland and not make conclusions before getting to know it.

Kevin Orr Ka-yeung, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong United Youth Association, said he believes it is vital for young people in Hong Kong to build their self-confidence and take bold steps to move ahead.

These young people can expect great potential for self-development in a place of such huge economic scale, and the mainland offers that possibility, he said.

So Ching-yin, a postgraduate student at Peking University, said her study on the mainland has offered her a lot of experience that she would not get in her native Hong Kong.

"I've been lucky to witness the rapid development of our country in my years on the mainland and to grow with the country, taking advantage of the vast opportunities it brings us," she said.

Willa Wu and He Shusi contributed to this story.