The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, has encouraged young people to make good use of the one-stop pre-employment and on-the-job training provided under the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) of the Labour Department (LD) to boost their competitiveness in employment and to strive hard for achieving career goals.
Officiating at the Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of the YETP 2018 tonight (August 23), Dr Law said that the Government is committed to promoting youth development. He said that over the years, the LD has been providing comprehensive training and employment support services under the YETP for young people. More than 220 000 young people have so far benefited from the scheme.
"The YETP has identified a large number of on-the-job training vacancies with good career prospects from various industries and trades so as to enable young people to realise their potential. Just like the awardees this year, they have gained a firm foothold in the job market through joining different employment projects under the YETP such as the Airport Ambassador Programme, the Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic Trainee Training Project, the e-Learning Support Scheme, the Project for Tradesman Traineeship, the Club Assistant Training Project, the Ethnic Minority Ambassador Programme, the Barista Training Project, the Junior Tradesman Associate Training Programme of a railway corporation and the Games & Photos Ambassador Training Project of a theme park," said Dr Law.
Dr Law pointed out that the YETP has been providing more choices to keep pace with the updated needs of the youngsters. In order to cater for the needs of some young people who are more interested in taking up part-time jobs, the scope of paid on-the-job training under the YETP, which lasts from six to 12 months, will be expanded from full-time employment only to cover part-time jobs as well, with effect from September 1. Moreover, the maximum monthly on-the-job training allowance payable to employers who engage young people in on-the-job training through the YETP will be increased from $3,000 to $4,000 per trainee employed, encouraging them to hire young people and provide them with quality on-the-job training with a view to promoting youth employment.
Dr Law further remarked that the Government would continue assisting young people to gear up for entering into the labour market, which in turn would inject new blood into different industries and trades. He encouraged the youngsters to better equip themselves and make every effort to advance towards the path of career success.
The Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of YETP cum Concert, held during the "Solar Project 2018 – Dream Journey with YETP" programme, was co-organised by the LD and Radio 2 of Radio Television Hong Kong. The awards were presented to 10 outstanding trainees who achieved significant improvements in personal development, leadership or work performance during the training period. This year, 10 other trainees have been selected for the Merit Awards so as to encourage more young people to work hard in realising their career goals and dreams.
The YETP is open to young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below and is free of charge. Trainees undergoing pre-employment training and who have successfully completed the workplace attachment training are eligible for a training allowance. Enrolment is on a year-round basis and is free of charge. For details, please visit the YETP's website at www.yes.labour.gov.hk. The LD has also set up a Youth Employment Services hotline 2112 9932 to provide a one-stop enquiry service on the programme and receive training vacancies from interested employers.
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