Training scheme to enhance youth employability

The Labour Department will launch the Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YWETS) to enhance employability of young people by providing on-the-job training to improve their vocational skills and personal credentials.

Announcing details of the YWETS at a press conference today (July 19), the Commissioner for Labour, Mrs Pamela Tan Kam Mi-wah, said: "The Government is very concerned about the youth employment problem. In his inaugural address on July 1, the Chief Executive also expressed his great concern on this."

"Despite the fact that the Government is running a deficit, the Financial Secretary in his Budget in March allocated $400 million for implementing the YWETS to provide 10,000 on-the-job training opportunities for young people in two years," she said. All young people aged between 15 and 24 without a degree are eligible to apply.

The scheme consists of three parts, including a 40-hour foundation course for participants with no prior interpersonal skill training. This is to help them acquire communication, job search and interview skills, and cultivate a positive work attitude and team spirit.

Under the YWETS, there will be a special feature in which registered social workers will render case management service. They will provide 50 hours of personalised career counselling and support services for trainees assigned to them. These services will cover areas including pre-employment assessment, formulation of career plan, job-matching and on-the-job support.

The scheme will also provide six to 12 months' on-the-job training in which participants are engaged as trainees by employers. Trainees can enrol in suitable part-time vocational courses to acquire relevant qualifications for occupations like insurance intermediary, tourist guide and beauty therapist.

"Employers have to award to trainees a certificate specifying the employment period and the skill attained upon completion of the training. We encourage employers to continue to employ trainees with satisfactory performance," Mrs Tan said.

The department will render a full package of support services to employers and trainees. "For the trainees, we will provide job-matching services and a subsidy for courses and examination fees," she said.

"Trainees can claim reimbursement for course and examination fees up to $4,000 if they have attained the qualification or have an attendance rate of 90 per cent. In addition, employers have to assign experienced staff as trainees' mentors."

"Employers will receive a monthly training subsidy of $2,000 per trainee for six to 12 months," she said.

"Our special task team will provide one-stop support services to help employers formulate training plans, match jobs and other follow-up etc. Train-the-trainer workshops and free training handbooks will be given to in-house mentors."

"Case managers will provide full support services to both employers and trainees during the whole process to facilitate the training," she continued.

The department has appealed to employers through various channels to invite them to offer training vacancies.

"The response is overwhelming. The department has so far received over 3,200 training vacancies, most of which come from the wholesale and retail industry," Mrs Tan said.

"This is an evolving programme. Employers can join in any time in the period of two years. I am confident that we will meet the target, which is providing at least 10 000 training vacancies. We will not set an upper limit," she added.

Mrs Tan said:" We will try our best to explore vacancies in industries with great development potentials and at the same time suitable for trainees."

She said that the department would launch an "IT Seeds Programme" under the YWETS to help nurture talents for the information technology education sector. The special package will be jointly organised by different school councils, principal associations and Pui Ching Education Centre. So far 357 schools have joined the scheme offering over 535 training vacancies of Teacher Assistant.

She added that the department was liaising with the Hong Kong Art Development Council, organisations in the tourism industry, the recreational and leisure industry, and the pre-school language education sector for other packages.

"The YWETS is a huge social project. We need the support of the community, in particular employers, for the programme to bear fruit. It is only through concerted efforts that more careers development opportunities can be explored for young people," Mrs Tan said.

She urged employers to support the scheme by offering training vacancies. She also encouraged young people not to lose confidence, as there would be comparatively less employment opportunities when the economy is still awaiting recovery.

The YWETS will accept applications from July 24 to August 13. Application forms can be obtained from Careers Information Centres and Job Centres of the Labour Department, Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department and designated training bodies. They can be downloaded from the YWETS website (http:// www.ywets.labour.gov.hk). Enquiries can be made at 2382 1310.