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Fifteen talented young chefs who learned their cookery skills under the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme (YPTP) flexed their muscles in a culinary competition organised by the Labour Department today (June 12).

With filial piety, or respect for parents, as the theme, seven teams of trainees from five training bodies prepared delicious Chinese and Western dishes.

"The competition is not just a good opportunity for us to practise our job-specific skills. It has also tested our team building abilities and co-operation, which are valuable soft skills we have acquired from YPTP," Mr Chu Wai-hung, a member of the winning team told the Commissioner for Labour, Mrs Pamela Tan Kam Mi-wah. The team made a dish to glorify the great love of parents.

Mrs Tan, who was one of the judges, praised the trainees for their cooking skills, creativity and team spirit.

She appealed to employers to provide more attachment training and employment opportunities for young people.

Legislative Council Member and Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairman, the Hon Mrs Selina Chow, presented awards to teams that excelled in the competition.

The YPTP offers a great variety of job-specific skills training courses geared to the needs of young people and employers. In the past two years of the programme, over 1,300 youngsters took catering-related courses in such areas as Chinese and Western cuisine, Taiwanese snacks and drinks, dim sum, sushi preparation and bar tending. In the 2001-02 programme year, about 1,200 trainees found jobs in catering.

Other popular YPTP courses include information technology, clerical studies, beauty culture and tourism and hotel studies.

Since the YPTP was launched in 1999, it has provided training opportunities for more than 45,000 school leavers aged 15 to 19. About 10,300 young people received training in the 2002-03 programme year.

End/Thursday, June 12, 2003

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