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With the goal of becoming a registered nurse, 18-year-old Abby Poon joined a novel training programme last September that allows her to earn as she learns. She takes care of seniors in a nursing home - a job she had not previously considered - while studying towards a diploma in health studies. Abby proved her ability to take care of the seniors through her actions, gaining recognition and trust from her boss and seniors' relatives.
The programme was a "first-hire-then-train" pilot scheme which recruited secondary school graduates aged 17 to 24 who were willing to work with seniors.
Since the pilot scheme has been warmly embraced, the Government has earmarked $147 million in additional funding to expand it to cover rehabilitation services and provide another 1 000 places in the coming few years.
Abby and her employer describe the programme's benefits in a story that appears on news.gov.hk today (April 13) in text and video formats.
Ends/Sunday, April 13, 2014
Issued at HKT 10:00
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