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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, has encouraged young people planning to join the labour market to equip themselves through the one-stop pre-employment and on-the-job training offered under the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YPTP&YWETS) of the Labour Department.
Speaking at the Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of YPTP&YWETS 2012 today (August 22), Mr Cheung said that the Government is committed to providing more opportunities for young people's development. Since the implementation of YPTP&YWETS more than 10 years ago, over 190 000 youngsters had benefited from the diversified training and employment support services under the scheme.
"In recent years, the Labour Department has been actively organising special employment projects to provide through-train training and employment opportunities for young people under the scheme. These include the Airport Ambassadors Programme, which provides customer support services to passengers at the Hong Kong International Airport, and the Project for Tradesman Trainees, which trains technicians for various trades. To cater for the manpower needs of different sectors, a range of tailor-made training-cum-employment projects such as Barista, Aircraft Maintenance Craftsman Trainee, Theme Park Rides Attendant Trainee, Engineer Assistant and Japanese-fashion Hair Stylist Training Projects are also well received," Mr Cheung said.
"We are glad that YPTP&YWETS has received support from many employers. In the recent Programme Year (from September 2011 till July 2012), the Labour Department has received about 9 000 on-the-job training vacancies. The average monthly wage of these vacancies is around $7 200, with over 30 per cent reaching $8,000 or above," he said.
"In the new Programme Year, YPTP&YWETS will continue to provide customised services to meet the diversified training and employment needs of young people with different interests." he added.
During the Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of YPTP&YWETS held at "Solar Project 2012 - Dream Journey with YPTP&YWETS", co-organised by Radio 2 of Radio Television Hong Kong and the Labour Department, Mr Cheung presented awards to 10 outstanding trainees who had achieved significant improvements in personal development, leadership, social service or work performance during the training period. He encouraged young people to pursue their dreams by setting goals and equipping themselves with their best endeavours. He also appealed to employers to continue their support for YPTP&YWETS and to partner with the Government in promoting youth development.
The YPTP&YWETS is open to young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with education attainment at sub-degree level or below and is free of charge. Year-round enrolment in the new Programme Year commenced on August 6. For details, please visit the website of the Youth Employment Services of the Labour Department at www.yes.labour.gov.hk. The Labour Department 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/Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:51
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