Youth Pre-employment Training Programme 2000-2001 to be launched

The Labour Department will launch the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme (YPTP) again in October this year. The YPTP aims to enhance the employability of young school leavers aged between 15 and 19 by providing a wide range of employment-related training, workplace attachments, on-the-job training and counselling services.

Announcing details of the YPTP at a press briefing today (August 25), the Commissioner for Labour, Mrs Pamela Tan Kam Mi-wah, said: "I do encourage young school leavers planning to start a career to make full use of this opportunity to enhance their employability."

"A questionnaire survey conducted in April following the completion of last year's programme showed that the YPTP received widespread support from participating trainees, training bodies and employers.

"All the training bodies and voluntary organisations rendering guidance and counselling services, 98 per cent of employers, and 97 per cent of trainees considered it worthwhile to launch the YPTP," Mrs Tan said.

"The Programme Office of the department received from time to time commendation letters from trainees and their parents on the positive impact of the YPTP on the trainees. The trainees also expressed their appreciation of the YPTP on different occasions, e.g. informal discussion sessions with the staff of the Programme Office. Extracts of the trainees' comments on the YPTP are available in the website of the YPTP: http://www.yptp.com.hk, " she added.

"In April, the Programme Office conducted a survey on the employment situation of trainees of the YPTP. Altogether about 4,000 trainees had secured employment, which constituted some 37 per cent of the total number of trainees. As reporting was voluntary, the actual number of trainees who successfully found a job would higher than this figure," she said.

This year, the YPTP will be conducted in two phases, each lasting for about six months. It is expected that each phase will benefit 6,000 trainees and the first phase will commence on October 16.

"The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council has approved $246 million for the YPTP. Of the sum, $162 million will be for the YPTP in the coming two years while $84 million will be for three phases of the newly added on-the-job training," Mrs Tan said.

The YPTP will offer a wide range of employment-related modular training. There are four modules, namely (a) leadership, discipline and team building; (b) job search and interpersonal skills; (c) elementary/intermediate computer application; and (d) job-specific skills. Guidance and counselling services will be provided throughout the YPTP to help trainees understand their career preference and map out their future plans.

Upon the completion of modular training, trainees may receive a one-month workplace attachment training. Through the attachment, trainees can gain practical experience in real working life, gain confidence in work, further develop their potential and explore various employment opportunities. There will be no employment relationship between the host organisations providing workplace attachment training and the trainees. Attachment opportunities will be offered by the private, public and social services sectors.

Furthermore, trainees who have completed modular training and workplace attachment training may be arranged to undergo on-the-job training. The trainees will be taken on as employees and the wage level will be determined by the employers and the trainees themselves. Employers will be provided with a full range of support services and a training subsidy of up to three months per trainee.

"This year, we will make a number of improvements to the YPTP. First of all, we will provide one-stop service covering training to employment. The waiting time between courses will be substantially shortened. In the first three months, trainees will concentrate on their modular training. After they have completed the modular training, workplace attachments will be arranged, followed by on-the-job training as soon as possible," Mrs Tan said.

"We will organise employment seminars to keep trainees abreast of up-to-date market information and help them identify employment opportunities. These will be reinforced by follow-up employment service including careers counselling and job placement to facilitate trainees in finding jobs that best suit their interests and capabilities. 

"We will also invite training bodies to provide free placement services for the trainees," Mrs Tan said.

"Another improvement will be customisation. In arranging training courses, we will take into account the interests of individual trainees. Career guidance and counselling services will complement the training module on job search and inter-personal skills which will be a core module for everyone to take. Youth workers will provide the necessary support to trainees.

"We will prepare a training plan for each trainee according to his/her preferences. Youth workers will work hand in hand with the trainees to constantly review the plan and if necessary, we will adjust the plan according to their preference and capability. We will also keep a training logbook to keep track of the training progress and results. Both will help trainees build up their credentials and find jobs later.

Furthermore, training courses will be expanded in terms of width and depth this year to cater for different needs of the trainees. Newly developed courses such as merchandising, vocational language, cooking and dim-sum production, web page design, security and property management will be added to module D to satisfy different interests and enhance employment opportunities for trainees.

"At the same time, we will put more emphasis on parents' participation as they have profound influence on the trainees. Home-based personal support and encouragement to trainees and effective communication between parents and their children will definitely help the trainees, both in the YPTP and in their future careers," Mrs Tan said.

"In this regard, experience-sharing sessions will be organised from time to time and a special corner will be created on the YPTP web site for this purpose," Mrs Tan added. 

Mrs Tan also noted that information technology will be applied to facilitate trainees in progressing through the YPTP. "A special corner in website http://www.yptp.com.hk will be established for trainees to view and enroll in available courses according to their preference.

Another new feature of the YPTP is the Youth Ambassadors Scheme. Trainees who took part in last year's YPTP will be invited to join the scheme to share the experience they have learned with new trainees. This will also enable the former to further develop their potentials.

"The most important mission of the ambassadors is to pass on the spirit of the programme to future trainees," Mrs Tan said.

Enrolment for the YPTP will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The first batch will be accepted from September 11 to 18 while the second will be accepted from November 11 to December 5.

Application forms will be available from September 1 onwards at the department's Careers Information Centres and Job Centres, the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department and District Offices of the Social Welfare Department. They can also be downloaded from the website http://www.yptp.com.hk.

Enquiries on the YPTP can be made at 2835 2188 or by e-emailing to enquiry@yptp.com.hk.