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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, encouraged young people to grasp every opportunity in pursuit of their dreams when he attended the drama show "Seize the Second" jointly presented by the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) of the Labour Department (LD) and Radio 2 of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) today (January 30).
The stage drama "Seize the Second", one of the activities of the "Appreciate Hong Kong" Campaign, was presented by some 40 performers including artistes/singers, comperes of RTHK, YETP trainees and Solar Ambassadors. It was adapted from the encouraging stories of four YETP trainees who eventually identified their career direction through on-the-job training of YETP.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the drama show, Mr Cheung said, "I am very pleased to learn that YETP has assisted the four youngsters in realising their dreams and identifying their career goals. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to employers who provide young school leavers with on-the-job training and employment opportunities, service providers who help groom our young people and bring out their talents, as well as case managers who provide career counselling and guidance to our trainees. With their concerted efforts, success stories are being realised one after another, adding value to Hong Kong and living up to the spirit of 'Appreciate Hong Kong'."
Mr Cheung noted that over 210 000 young people have benefited from the programme since its inception, with the successful placement rate reaching 70 per cent. To keep pace with the changing needs of the labour market, the LD has organised various pilot employment projects to cater for young people with different career aspirations. These include the e-Learning Support Scheme to help nurture young talents in the sectors of information technology and education, and the Employment Services Ambassador Programme for Ethnic Minorities to train up young people who could communicate in ethnic minority languages to assist LD in providing employment services to job-seekers, especially the ethnic minorities. This year, the LD has launched the Aviation Recruitment Series and Horticulture and Arboriculture Trainee Training Project, providing young people with on-the-job training and employment opportunities in the fields of cabin crew, ground services, aircraft maintenance, as well as horticulture and arboriculture, all of which have good development potentials.
Enrolment in YETP is free and accepted year round. School-leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below are welcome to join. For details, please visit the website of Youth Employment Services of the LD 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 employers.
Ends/Saturday, January 30, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:59
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