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LCQ17: Training courses under Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme
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     Following is a question by Hon Leung Kwok-hung and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (May 15):

Question:

     Earlier, following the reply of the Government to my question on the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (the Scheme) of the Labour Department (LD), quite a number of members of the public and the social workers who work as case managers under the Scheme have continued to relay to me the problems of the Scheme. They pointed out that when problems of the training courses arose, the responsible social workers or the persons-in-charge of the training bodies which were appointed under the Scheme had covered up their own fault in improper supervision and shifted, without verifying the facts, the blame to the frontline social workers who had already left the positions. Moreover, some trainees of the Scheme have relayed to me that they have not succeeded in securing employment after completing the training courses and thus feel very anxious. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of trainees who received the hours of case management services (basic period) as listed in Table 1, and the average amount of service fees per hour paid by the authorities for each trainee, in each of the programme years of the Scheme (programme years) from 2009/10 to 2011/12 (set out in Table 1);

(b) of the number of trainees who received the hours of case management services (extended period) as listed in Table 2, and the average amount of service fees per hour paid by the authorities for each trainee, in each of the programme years from 2009/10 to 2011/12 (set out in Table 2);

(c) of the respective numbers of trainees who enrolled in and completed the case management services for the basic period and the extended period, as well as the respective numbers of trainees who succeeded in securing employment within one month after completion of the basic period and in keeping their employment one month after completion of the extended period, in each of the programme years from 2009/10 to 2011/12 (set out in Table 3);

(d) of the respective numbers of trainees who enrolled in and completed the training courses, and those who succeeded in securing employment within one month after completion of the training courses, in each of the programme years from 2009/10 to 2011/12 (set out in Table 4); and

(e) of the time taken by LD to reimburse the course fees to a training body after receiving the Form No. 26 (application form for reimbursement of course fees) submitted by the training body; whether it is against the law for a training body to submit a Form No. 26 containing untrue information; if so, of the relevant legislation and penalties, and whether the person who has signed on the Form will be held legally liable?

Reply:

President,

     The Government is highly concerned about youth employment. By adopting a multi-pronged approach, comprehensive training and employment support services are provided to young people to help them seek employment. LD attaches great importance to the quality of services and training provided by the training bodies of the Scheme. It takes up its monitoring role seriously. If breaches of the Scheme's terms and conditions are detected, they will be handled strictly.  

     My reply to the question raised by the Hon Leung Kwok-hung is as follows:

(a) and (b) Under the Scheme, case managers, based on the trainees' needs and their professional assessment, will provide trainees with appropriate services and support. Case management service fee is paid on an hourly basis in accordance with the actual time spent. We do not keep statistics broken down by the number of service hours of basic and extended case management services received by the trainees. The Audit Commission had analysed the data of basic case management services received by trainees in the 2009/10 programme year in its Report No.59 and the information is listed in the table below. The case management service fee was $65 per hour per trainee on average.

     Service hours provided by
case managers to 1 751 trainees of
     the 2009/10 programme year

No. of service hours            No. of trainees
--------------------            ---------------
0                               2      (0%)
>0 to < 5                       377    (21%)
5 to < 10                       450    (26%)
10 to < 20                      608    (35%)
20 to < 30                      203    (12%)
30 to < 70                      108    (6%)
70                              3      (0%)
Total                           1 751  (100%)

(c) In the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 programme years, the Scheme enrolled 15 543, 11 922 and 9 434 trainees respectively. As the 2012/13 programme year will end in August 2013, the full-year figure is not yet available. LD commissions professional social workers of the training bodies to provide 12 months' customised career guidance, job search and employment support to the trainees. The case management services may be extended by another 12 months for trainees who have been placed into on-the-job training vacancies or secured employment, so as to better assist them to settle in their jobs, overcome problems in the workplaces, and map out their future development plan.

     The Scheme deals with trainees' employment needs in a proactive and flexible manner. Trainees who have not yet completed the case management services or the relevant training courses could still be offered on-the-job training. As such, we do not have information on the number of trainees having secured employment within one month after completing the case management services. In the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 programme years, 4 595, 4 228 and 3 341 trainees were placed into training vacancies of the Scheme respectively. In addition, quite a substantial number of trainees would pursue further studies or find job themselves after joining the Scheme while some trainees would choose to join the Scheme again. Each year, we conduct a trainee development survey on trainees. The results of the surveys on trainees of the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 programme years showed that 70.6 per cent, 75.5 per cent and 72.2 per cent of the trainees were in employment respectively at the time of the relevant survey. In sum, through provision of career guidance and job search support, the Scheme aims at helping young people understand their career interests and get to know different trades or industries that enable them to map out the direction of their long-term career development. Placements achieved in the short run may not be able to fully reflect the effectiveness of the Scheme.

(d) In the 2009/10 to 2011/12 programme years, the numbers of trainees participating in training courses of the Scheme are listed below:

                                  No. of trainees
Programme    No. of trainees      with attendance
year     in courses         of 80% or above
---------    ---------------     ----------------
2009/10         12 198                9 838
2010/11          8 729                6 851
2011/12          6 526                5 005  

     The Scheme offers different modules of training courses including a core course on job-search and interpersonal skills training, and a series of elective courses on discipline and motivation training, computer application training and introductory job-specific skills training. Each trainee may take a maximum of four elective courses in addition to the job-search and interpersonal skills training in the 12-month service period. The training courses aim at helping the young people better understand themselves and their career aspiration so as to enhance their employability in the long run. As explained in paragraph (c) of the reply above, the Scheme deals with the trainees' employment needs in a proactive and flexible manner. Trainees do not have to complete the training courses before they are offered on-the-job training or secure employment in the open market. As such, we do not have information on the number of trainees having secured employment within one month after completing the training courses.

(e) Upon receipt of the application form for reimbursement of course fees submitted by the training body (Form No. 26) and all relevant documents, LD will take about one to two months to arrange for reimbursement of the course fees. It is clearly stated in Form No. 26 that information relating to the reimbursement claims must be reported accurately. Anyone who wilfully makes false representation or provides false information commits an offence. LD will refer suspected offence cases to the Police for investigation.

Ends/Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:56

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